Jingdezhen fires global imagination

When French artist Yann Colleu first encountered porcelain in 2014 as a contemporary art student in France, he had little idea that the material would eventually become central to his life.

At the time, he worked across a range of media, from wood and oil painting to performance and music, with porcelain just one material among many.

That began to change in 2017, when he traveled to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, for a three-month academic exchange at Jingdezhen Ceramic University.

Colleu said his time in Jingdezhen opened his eyes to how expressive porcelain could be on its own. "I want to explore every aspect of porcelain that can emulate thought and convey emotion."

Back in France, he could not stop thinking about Jingdezhen and soon found himself longing to return. Over the following years, he traveled back and forth between the two countries. In 2024, when Colleu was 32, he and his family decided to settle in Jingdezhen.

Colleu is one of many international artists drawn to the city, some for short stays and others who eventually choose to put down roots.

Their presence has taken on added significance since the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July.

For centuries, Jingdezhen porcelain traveled overseas along ancient maritime trade routes, carrying Chinese craftsmanship and aesthetics to distant markets. Today, artists from around the world are making the journey in the opposite direction, learning from the city's ceramic traditions while bringing artistic languages of their own.

Colleu has witnessed the city's creative scene become increasingly international and diverse.

What was once centered on technical mastery and material quality, he said, has grown to embrace contemporary art, performance, experimental music, digital modeling and 3D printing. "Some artists who left for larger cities in search of opportunities are also beginning to return."

Colleu himself went on to study qinghua, or blue-and-white porcelain, and youzhong wucai, an in-glaze polychrome decoration technique, working with local craftspeople to learn from and experiment with these traditional methods.

The longer Colleu worked with porcelain, however, the more he came to understand how much of the process lay beyond the maker's control. Moisture, drying, shrinkage and firing can all affect the final results, and even a carefully made piece can crack or deform in the kiln.

He compares the process to a human relationship.

"You cannot force a relationship and expect positive results," he said. "You have to observe, you have to listen, and you have to adapt."