Ahead of the Curve: New China from China

About

Porcelain from Jingdezhen, it is said, is ‘white as jade, thin as paper, clear as glass and chimes as sweetly as a bell’. For more than 1700 years, the city has been the preeminent centre of China’s porcelain industry ago, a reputation it’s maintained since the Han dynasty and retains to this day, for a downturn in its fortunes during the late 20th century meant it was never industrialised on quite the scale of so many Chinese cities. So the pre-eminent ceramicists who remain here still practice ancient techniques, even if their designs are plainly 21st century.

Organised in collaboration with the Two Cities Gallery in Shanghai, Ahead of the Curve, as the exhibition’s literature succinctly puts it, showcases new china from China, featuring work by contemporary ceramic artists such as Han Xi and alumni of Jingdezhen’s venerated Ceramic Institute.