It is considered a big taboo if ceramic piece has a crack or to the coloring is unevenly, they are usually considered defective. However, once I’ve finished making and adjusting the shape of a piece, and accidentally broke it as I was putting it into the kiln. I had no to make another one, so I picked up all the pieces, and glue them together after burning. It turned out unbelievably surprising and powerful.

When confronted with clay, it is our instinct to want to conquer it. But just as I described above, when you have uncovered unexpected effect, you will want to indulge in the happiness of its presentation. Creation, destruction, then putting all the pieces back together, I’ve dedicated to this type of “Re-Creation” for over 2 decades.

My artworks are almost all abstract objects. I use dolomite or porcelain clay, sometimes form the clay by coiling, pinching or slabbuilding, sometimes use plaster cast models to shape, after drying, I use fine sandpaper with holes to grind into desired shape before I polish it with grinding stone. Then I break this work into pieces without having any control what shapes and sizes the pieces would be. Afterwards I separate the pieces into three groups, and transit the claybody to black, white, and orange surface by different firing.

The black ceramics kiln temperature is elevated to 900℃ then naturally lowered to 500~600℃. Finally I take fully soaked pine tree leaves and pour them at the opening of the kiln to seal it and smoke the black ceramics. As for white ceramics, it’s burned at 900℃ either under oxidation or reduction atmosphere. Oxidation firing will give an ivory color, while reduction firing will give an even whiter color. With The orange ceramics kiln, I take the broken pieces and add vermiculite, and start the reduction firing at 800℃, and smoke burn at 900℃. The pieces are burned using three methodologies, then reattach the pieces with adhesives to regenerate its original shape, and finally add plaster to the seam to accomplish the artwork.

I think during the process of re-creation, we are capable of creating shapes and making natural forces with our hands, the forms and shape compliment each other bringing mysteriousness and room for imagination to our works.