Play with clay, don’t seek the reason!

How does one define good art? Do I need a discerning eye or an expertise? Mr Shan says that there is no complex equation; it simply feels right upon first glance. You can’t dissect the mind in judging a work of art, nor can one question the wisdom of the heart. What is art? The artist conveys his creative intent which in turn triggers a viewer’s response. The curiosity transforms into emotion that requires no reasoning, as reasoning is a deliberate persuasion rather than an innate connection to the work. The truly good work is beyond aesthetic pleasure; it transmits the serenity that consumes your whole being without distorting your inner peace. Don’t fight its allure; don’t rush by it; let it in. One can say that of Gao Zhenyu’s works.

If you were to play with clay, within what realm would it be?
Gao Zhenyu says that clay is alive. He talks to it as he kneads it, asking for its permission as he wraps his hands around it.Gao believes that the most profound way to engage with nature is by showing respect to its soil. Soil is the source of life. The flow of energy awakens Earth’s sense of life. Conciseness is the product of life and the reason for an object’s existence – an object and the universe locked in eternal energy exchange, and the viewer is welcome to join in.

Playing with clay is not for the faint of heart, nor does everyone have what it takes to manage 360 degrees firing. Growing up in the birthplace of purple clay, in a beautiful Jiangnan water township, Gao Zhenyu was surrounded by contemporary purple clay masters within his own family: father Gao Haixuan, mother Zhou Guizhen and father-in-law Xu Xiutang. All of them were the disciples of the great purple clay master Gu JingZhou. In his adolescence, Gao Zhenyu was fortunate enough to apprentice with Gu JingZhou. His fate was sealed by those early experiences with clay.
Studies in Japan, together with his wife and colleague Xu Xu, furthered his understanding of clay and it’s many characteristics and behaviours. The biggest influence on young Gao Zhenyu was Mr Yagi, the world-renowned Japanese potter, who famously said that ‘utensils are also objects’ and ‘when you look at an utensil as an object, it becomes an object’. The notion of ‘useful’ and ‘useless’ objects as two chasms of the artist’s character broadened Gao Zhenyu’s understanding of clay and became the foundation of his creative pursuit.

Creating ceramic art is a complex equation with many variables. Each variable has to come out exactly right for it to fulfil the master’s original intent. It takes a lifetime of practice and patience.

In his book Natural Beauty of Hibiscus Rising out of Clear Water, the author, one of China’s renowned academics and historians, Feng Qiyong wrote, ‘Although Gao Zhenyu’s pure path to ceramics was tough, his works, mingled with grace and elegance, are scented by nature, thus making him an essential part of Chinese ceramic history’.

Fire quenches as earth hardens in the flames’ competing flares. The burst of infinite energy completes the metamorphosis of Earth’s Nirvana. The brilliance is captured still. The ‘Clay Nirvana’ series exhibition in the National Art Museum of China is a testimony to Earth’s rebirth-Nirvana. The handful of earth is engulfed by the fire, where every flame is a doorway to a new beginning. Without such experience, one can never achieve full enlightenment.

The ‘Clay Nirvana’ series will draw you in. The works show Earth at its most beautiful. The expansion is reached in the fiery apex of the moment, only to tear a gateway to the outside world. The artistry is found in the master’s ability to sense the mood of the clay and its inclination and ability to conform. The perceived randomness of these openings is determined by the hand of the artist and dictated by the soul of the object.

Just like everything else in the process of creation, the firewood conforms to nature. Wood ash and clay fuse in the fire baptism, forming a natural glaze. The uncertainly of the wood-burning process leads to a lot of discoveries. These are not deliberate or destructive; they are created as the object basks in the attention of the flame. The inner beauty is forever immortalized. This layering cannot be achieved by man-made electric or gas firing. The firewood-burned clay object has the grace, elegance and wisdom of a mature woman.

The wood-burned object responds to touch in the delicate energy exchange. The textured coarseness of the surface gives a voice to every grain of sand it embodies. This is not palpable when ceramics undergo electric burning. The works of Gao Zhenyu are works with nature, where subtlety of his creative intent is mitigated by its forces, leaving the viewer in a wistful reverie.

Gao Zhenyu’s works are the perfect fit for any setting, as they transmit nature’s harmony. It is a Dao of Art as Gao Zhenyu transports you into the realm of his creations.