Visiting | Jingwen Wu

Jingwen Wu, an artist of quiet disposition and compelling expression, channels her creativity from a place of introspection and innate connection to her surroundings. Born in Nanping, Fujian, surrounded by the undulating Wuyi Mountains, her life has been deeply intertwined with the rhythm of the natural world – a theme that pervades her work. Jingwen did not initially envision a life in ceramics, but as she believes, one ultimately finds the path meant for them.

Her journey into ceramics began almost serendipitously, during a restorative period after years of rigorous academic pursuits in animation design. An invitation to a friend’s studio in Chengdu introduced her to the tactile joy of clay – a medium she describes not as something she shapes, but as an essence she uncovers. Jingwen's approach to ceramics is a dance of discovery, where each piece already exists in the clay, waiting to be found. This perspective echoes her love for Bach and the piano – disciplines that require a melodic construction of action and intervals between.

“I wish to see new lives animate from the vessels I make.”

In her studio in Jingdezhen, each creation carries the gradual changes of the seasons and the intimate details of plant life which she meticulously observes. Her minimalist yet eloquent works embody a Socratic philosophy through their architectural forms, inviting spontaneity and exploration. From vases to tea tools, each piece adapts to its beholder's whims.

Jingwen embraces each day with a presence that is rare in our fast-paced world. Her practice is a meditation, rooted in the slow interplay of clay, wheel, and hand. There is a profound stillness in her work, a stillness that resonates with the serene yet robust life of her mountainous homeland, filled with the echoes of flowing streams and the whispers of the wind through bamboo. In her hands, clay becomes a narrative of life itself, unspoken yet felt. Each piece is not just crafted but lived – a quiet celebration of the mundane turned sublime.