SPOTLIGHT
Celebrated Ceramics Artist Builds Bridge Between UK and China
Zhu’s first American exhibition runs
through June 7 at the Ann Tower Gallery.
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Pick up a copy of Janet Mansfield’s “Ceramics in the Environment: An International Review,” and you will see Zhu Legeng’s most famous work on the cover. Inside are photos of the artist in his studio in China, creating the intricately detailed pieces -- as large as 23 feet by 59 feet -- that were then transported to the Milal Museum of Art’s fine arts complex in Seoul.
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| Zhu (center) with Huajing and Andrew Maske. Huajing served as an interpreter for Zhu and his wife during their visit. | |
A Meeting of Like Minds
Maske, a scholar of ceramics history, met Zhu on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2006-2007 while exploring what had become of Chinese ceramics in the decades following Mao’s Great Cultural Revolution. It’s considered common knowledge that China’s ceramics tradition has inspired the world for centuries, even giving us the English word “china,” for fine porcelain. Yet, relatively few people know how that legacy has evolved over the last fifty years.
Zhu’s father, who was also a ceramist, suffered greatly under the Red Guards. But Zhu persevered. He helped pioneer the movement away from a factory-like approach to art and became one of the first Chinese ceramists to set up his own workshop, studio and kiln in the post-Mao era.
Maske also discovered that the exchange of ideas had become more prevalent as these independent pursuits grew. Artists in China and the United States had been working together for at least a decade and scholars and educators were just beginning to follow their example.
Inspired by this spirit of collaboration, Maske arranged for the renowned ceramist and educator to make his first trip to the United States as part of the UK Department of Art Visiting Artists and Scholars Series, which invites artists to campus to discuss art as a profession and work with students in the studio.
Mutual Languages
Zhu and his wife, Fang Lili, a notable ceramics scholar and the director of the Center for Art Anthropology Research at the China Art Research Institute, arrived in Lexington in February. Zhu, speaking through an interpreter, said they felt an immediate connection to the students and faculty. ”We have found that we have many mutual languages, especially ceramics.”
A former professor at the Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute, Zhu now teaches graduate students at the China Art Research Academy. As an educator, he wants his students to focus on three primary objectives: pursuing art as a profession, merging art and the environment and striving for artistic originality.
He has been particularly impressed with the creativity displayed by American students, and Maske notes the feeling is mutual. Associate professors in ceramics Robert Scroggins and Hunter Stamps were immediately struck by Zhu’s prolific, passionate work style, which differs sharply from the more cautious approach adopted by most students. “There’s not one single approach to working that’s right or wrong,” said Maske, “but Mr. Zhu demonstrated for our students how an artist with a full repertoire of techniques is able to work very, very quickly.”
The highlight of Zhu’s visit was a symposium he gave in February titled "Chinese Porcelain - From Tradition to Today." Artists from throughout Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee attended to learn more about his life and work. Attendees also discussed the benefits and drawbacks of working in a collaborative environment. At the end of the symposium, students and professional artists joined together to create a ceramic mural, which will eventually be installed on campus. “This was an amazing opportunity,” said Maske “and I hope and expect that this will be something that sticks with our students as a highlight of their time at UK.”
Coming to the United States created unique opportunities for Zhu and Fang as well. Zhu’s first American exhibition is currently running at the Ann Tower Gallery in downtown Lexington. "Out of China: Works by Zhu Legeng," will remain on display through June 7. It contains approximately 40 pieces including a series of special interest to Lexington residents known as "Tian Ma" or "Heavenly Horses," designed to express the horse's free spirit.
The couple has been able to see other parts of the United States, too, traveling to New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and joining thousands at the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts conference in Los Angeles. They also visited Boston and Phoenix. Out of all the cities they have seen, Fang favors Lexington. “It is a very beautiful and very peaceful place,” she said, especially the UK campus and William T. Young Library, which she describes as not only architecturally stunning, but a true haven for researchers such as herself.
The Shape of Things to Come
Zhu hopes there will be more opportunities for exchange between Jingdezhen and Lexington and that all visiting students and scholars will see themselves as ambassadors. “They should see it as a mission and build a bridge between the campus, students and faculty here and the campus, students and faculty in China,” he advised.
Maske is excited about what these types of exchanges mean for UK’s future. “There’s tremendous enthusiasm, within the College of Fine Arts, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Asia Center, to continue this momentum,” he said. Bob Shay, dean of the College of Fine Arts, (who is also a ceramics artist) has been invited to attend the annual Jingdezhen International Ceramics Festival. An initiative is already underway to host an Asian arts festival on campus in the fall, and the faculty hope their ceramics students will ultimately go abroad to study the Chinese tradition firsthand.
“It gives me encouragement that we can bring top international people to UK in a wide variety of fields,” Maske said. “We do not have to be content in our traditional strengths of pharmacy, engineering or other fields in which we already have a strong international mix. All UK students should have the opportunity to benefit from international contacts, whatever their field. That is the only way we will have a truly international university.”