Replication of Creation
We all exist within replication—indeed, we ourselves originate from it, through the replication of genes, culture, aesthetics, and philosophy. Replication is not merely an artistic expression but also a methodology for exploring cultural identity and social values.
In the series “Replication of Creation”, Hong Zhangliang explores the essential connection between traditional craftsmanship and objects, revealing the multidimensional nature of historical heritage and investigating alternative possibilities of time and space in contemporary craft and art. Using ceramic and marbled ceramics techniques as media, he focuses on the continuity of techniques and culture, as well as the significance of repetitive labor in artistic creation. By uncovering differences and uniqueness within repetition, he endows his works with new meanings and values, envisioning an alternative future with our own history.
Starting point
The Marbling Technique
Marbling is an ancient ceramic technique originating in China's Tang Dynasty. It involves layering and combining different colored clays to create intricate decorative patterns. Due to its technical complexity and low success rate, few marbled ceramics have survived. However, the revival of this technique by Japanese and Western artists has infused it with renewed vitality and expressive potential.
I was first introduced to the marbled technique while studying ceramic in the United Kingdom. Upon returning to China, I visited numerous ancient kiln sites and conducted an in-depth study of various ceramic crafts. Building on this foundation, I dedicated myself to developing a marbled porcelain technique infused with my personal style. With meticulously crafted formulas and continuous experimentation in production techniques, I have created marbled patterns with a striking visual impact.
In terms of color matching, I opt for porcelain clay with a high degree of whiteness and vivid mineral pigments. By layering and mixing in different proportions, I achieve a gradient sense of depth, making the patterns more three-dimensional and lively.
In pattern design, I favor fractal patterns and seamless patterns that integrate a sense of religion and mathematical aesthetics. These patterns not only bear the marks of historical culture but also incorporate elements of technology and contemporary art, showcasing aesthetic value that transcends time and space.
To better highlight the natural texture of the clay, I choose not to apply glaze. Through three rounds of meticulous polishing before bisque firing, after bisque firing, and following the high-temperature firing, I bestow upon my works a jade-like smooth touch and a restrained luster.
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turning point
Aesthetics
By 2019, I had explored various forming techniques such as mold pressing, wheel throwing, slab building, and slip casting, based on my research into patterns and materials, in order to investigate the visual possibilities of marbled ceramics. My two years of study gave me a deep understanding of both the unique charm and the limitations of craftsmanship and ceramics.
In search of new breakthroughs, I went to Japan to study philosophy and aesthetics, hoping to enrich my creative work with new dimensions and layers from the perspective of a different culture and discipline. During that period, I developed a new personal style through visual forms that were more expressive of philosophical ideas, striving to explore expressions that were more conceptual and culturally rooted within the constraints of traditional craftsmanship and ceramics.
During my study of aesthetics, I often ponder the limitations of our perception of the forms that specific objects take. Driven by personal interest, I began to use a microscope to observe various objects in life. When these objects enter the microscopic world of scientific precision, they all reveal patterns composed of repeated circular arrangements. Thus, I started creating marbled ceramic works inspired by cells.
These three pieces are kiln shelves used during the firing process. I placed marbled ceramic pieces with cellular patterns on these shelves for firing. During the high-temperature firing, metal oxides in the clay volatilize and permeate into the shelves. After firing, unique traces are left on the shelves, which become another manifestation and mode of existence for the marbled ceramics.
I am deeply fascinated by the ways in which things exist and the forms they take. The symmetrical and asymmetrical, ordered and unordered patterns in cellular designs, which coexist in opposition, have also inspired more imaginative ways of thinking in me.
key Point
Historical Heritage
In 2020, I was invited to participate in the Dananpo Project, which brought me back to Dangyangyu, Henan, the birthplace of marbled ceramics, after four years. At the Henan Museum, I encountered a painted pottery double-vessel from the Yangshao culture. The unique way in which the two vessels were connected resonated with my imagination of the three-dimensional combination of cellular patterns.
In the context of craftsmanship and traditional culture, discussions about traditional styles and artistic intent seem more meaningful than philosophical concepts such as form and idea. The relationship between style and will is not merely a simple correspondence between form and content. Style is an artistic outcome co-created by individual and collective will, and it also influences and shapes a nation's aesthetic consciousness and aesthetic will.
As Latour proposed with the concepts of the "Middle Kingdom" and "quasi-objects," we should transcend the traditional dualism of subject and object and start from the "Middle Kingdom" to understand the complexity and dynamics of the world. I regard my own works as "quasi-objects" that connect technology, art, and social development, providing a new perspective for exploring the complex interactions between artistic styles and wills across different times and regions.
Future Outlook
Moving forward, I will delve into the ceramic styles and aesthetics of various periods in Chinese history, extract culturally distinctive symbols and artistic expressions, and breathe new life into them through the marbling technique.