The Grand Opening of the “Chinese Color Glaze Ceramic Art Tour Exhibition (Yuzhou China)”

On June 27, 2025, the“Chinese Color Glaze Ceramic Art Tour Exhibition (Yuzhou, China 中国禹州),” a Communication and Promotion Project funded by the China National Arts Fund (CNAF) 2025, officially opened at the Yuzhou Jun Porcelain Cultural Park in Henan Province. The exhibition is hosted by Beijing City University, undertaken by the Faculty of Cultural Heritage of Beijing City University(BCU) and Beijing Ceramic Art Museum. And The exhibition is guided by the Chinese Craft Art Society, and co-supported by Guilin Art Museum, Jingdezhen Art Museum, Yuzhou Jun Porcelain Cultural Park Co., Ltd., Yuzhou Jun Porcelain Cultural Museum, Xuchang Ceramic Museum, Hohhot Art Museum and other institutions.

Chen Qiurong陈秋荣, Director of the Faculty of Cultural Heritage of Beijing City University and Executive Director of the Chinese Craft Art Society, stated that the exhibition has brought together classic color glaze works by artists from across the country, showcasing the artistic features of Chinese ceramics. It also demonstrates the deep collaboration among universities, industries, and local cultural forces within the traditional arts and crafts communication system.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Kong Chunsheng孔春生, Art Director of China Jun Porcelain Cultural Park.

Li Bing李冰, Director of the Cultural Relics Digital Research Center of Beijing City University and Head of the Tour Exhibition Project, introduced the overall situation of the exhibition.

Li Bing李冰, Director of the Cultural Relics Digital Research Center of Beijing City University and Head of the Tour Exhibition Project, introduced the overall situation of the exhibition. She pointed out that as a representative category of Chinese ceramic art integrating craftsmanship, color, and aesthetic philosophy, color glaze ceramics, with their artistic language of "paintings in glaze, soul in fire", continue to expand their expression methods in the new era. The exhibition displays 84 pieces (groups) of works by 64 artists from major ceramic production areas and art colleges across the country, covering various types such as ceramic panel paintings, sculptures, installations, and practical utensils. The exhibition structure is centered around three major sections: "Inheriting Classics · Color glaze Art Life Aesthetics", "Ingenious Ideas · Creative Presentation of Color glaze Art", and "Boundary Integration · Frontier Expression of Color glaze Art", collectively reflecting the craftsmanship inheritance, formal expansion, and aesthetic reconstruction of color glaze ceramics in the contemporary context.

Chen Meixia陈美霞, Curator of the Project and Director of Beijing Ceramic Art Museum, delivered a speech.

Chen Meixia陈美霞, the curator of the project and Director of Beijing Ceramic Art Museum, stated in her opening speech that the exhibition demonstrates the unique charm of color glaze ceramics in technological innovation and color expression. It not only centrally presents representative works by artists from all over the country but also introduces the contemporary expressions of local classic glaze types such as Luoyang Sancai and Lushan Glaze, reflecting the diverse forms and cultural depth of color glaze art. She emphasized that efforts will continue to promote the communication and exchange of ceramic art in public cultural spaces, helping traditional craftsmanship radiate new brilliance in the new era.

Professor Wang Hongwei王洪伟, Dean of the Chinese Ceramic Research Institute at Henan University, delivered a speech.

Professor Wang Hongwei王洪伟, Dean of the Chinese Ceramic Research Institute of Henan University, pointed out in his speech that the Central Plains ceramic cultural circle around Songshan has dual characteristics of originality and radiation in the history of Chinese ceramics. As an important representative among them, Jun porcelain's glaze variation wonder of "one color when entering the kiln, thousands of colors when exiting the kiln" embodies the unique understanding of Chinese ceramics regarding nature, color, and the spiritual world. He emphasized that this exhibition is a dialogue of ideas between traditional craftsmanship and modern ceramic art, which will bring new perspectives to the innovative development of historical kilns in the Central Plains.

Kong Xiangqing孔相卿, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Inheritor and Chinese Master of Arts and Crafts, delivered a speech.

Kong Xiangqing孔相卿, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Inheritor and Chinese Craft Art Master, also spoke at the opening ceremony. He stated that as a national cultural industry demonstration base and ceramic cultural landmark, China Jun Porcelain Cultural Park has always been committed to promoting the protection, innovation, and communication of Jun porcelain techniques. In recent years, Jun porcelain craftsmanship has broken through traditional difficulties, creating many new color glaze colors and formats with contemporary artistic characteristics, helping Jun porcelain enter modern life and forming the development direction of "practicalization of artworks and artization of practical utensils". The landing of this color glaze tour exhibition in Yuzhou will provide new artistic references and technical ideas for Jun porcelain innovation, and inject new creative vitality into the local ceramic cultural industry.

Group photo of guests

Scene of the opening ceremony

Exhibition site

Exhibition site

Exhibition site

It is reported that the "China Color glaze Ceramic Art Works Tour Exhibition" is a project supported by the National Art Fund. Since its launch in early 2025, it has been successfully held in Guilin, Jingdezhen, Fuzhou and other places, attracting widespread attention from the industry and society. The exhibition not only brings together works by experts from top domestic art colleges and research institutions such as the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Chinese National Academy of Arts, and Jingdezhen Ceramic University, but also invites many national intangible cultural heritage inheritors, Chinese ceramic art masters, and front-line ceramic artists to participate, combining academic and artistic qualities with a wide coverage and strong lineup.

During the exhibition, the organizer will also organize a series of guided tours to promote the in-depth transformation of exhibition resources into urban cultural construction and art education popularization systems. Li Bing, the project leader, said that the future tour will continue in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing, the capital. Guided by the concept of "ceramic art entering cities", it will promote color glaze ceramic art into more public spaces and build a bridge between traditional art and contemporary life.

The holding of this exhibition in Yuzhou, a famous ceramic town in the Central Plains, is not only a contemporary expression of thousands of years of ceramic culture but also an important node for color glaze art to move towards a broader stage. The organizer hopes to take this opportunity to inspire the enthusiasm and inspiration of young creators and promote the creative transformation and high-quality development of ceramic craftsmanship in the new era. The exhibition will last until July 9, and the public is welcome to visit and experience it.