The 3rd BLANC DE CHINE International Ceramic Art Award was launched in Beijing

On August 18, the third BLANC DE CHINE International Ceramic Art Award was officially launched in Beijing. The theme of this Award is "Boundless " This event is one of the most important projects of the Sino-French Cultural Forum.

According to Hu Xin, Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee of the event, the BLANC DE CHINE International Ceramic Art Award was officially established in 2016 and has had two successful sessions. Its purpose is to bring together outstanding artists from across the globe promote the integration and innovative development of ceramic art and contemporary art, and to encourage the international exchange of contemporary ceramic art. Therefore, the BLANC DE CHINE International Ceramic Art Award has become a major cultural and art projects under China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, through constant exploration and development, the Maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road had been formed successively, making it possible for oriental culture and civilization to spread along the Silk Road. Ceramics are not only the precious crystallization of the wisdom of artists and craftsmen, but also a shining treasure of Chinese art. By transcending the limitation of artifacts, it becomes works of art. In the long history, it has witnessed the continuous transformation and enrichment of Chinese civilization through the changing times. Simultaneously, it has also become an important medium conveying oriental culture to the rest of the world and contributing to the interaction and integration of Eastern and Western civilizations. "White Porcelain" traveled from Quanzhou, breaking through innumerable difficulties, and finally reached the other side of the ocean. With its characteristics of "white as snow, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, and sound like a chime," "White Porcelain" mesmerized the Western world immediately, and the friendship between China and France unfolded quietly.

Mr. Wang Yanling, the founder of the cultural and creative industry of the 798 Art Zone, described the BLANC DE CHINE International Ceramic Art Award as “the most Chinese, the most cosmopolitan, the most artistic, and the most modernistic.” He praised it for providing global ceramic artists with a great platform that connects ceramic artists and lovers from all over the world, and at the same time increasing the international influence of Chinese porcelains.

"BLANC DE CHINE" derived from Chinese culture as well as Chinese materials and colors. Western countries used it to understand China and to represent Chinese aesthetics. Bai Ming, the director of Ceramic Art Committee of the China Artists Association, said in his speech that in the contemporary world, we only see the exquisiteness of porcelain, but in ancient times, our ancestors not only recognized the pure quality of the soil, but also gave it a further aesthetic value by using soil to produce porcelain.

"The theme ‘Boundless’ is not only for exhibitions, competitions, and artists’ understanding and imagination in their creative process, but also for communication between different peoples, cultures, and countries. During the epidemic, the educational and pacifist functions of art become more significant, and the theme ‘Boundless’ becomes more humanistic," Bai Ming added.

In talking about the potential influence of "BLANC DE CHINE", as a rare international high-level ceramic art competition held by China, will have on Chinese ceramic artists, especially young ceramic artists, Bai Ming stated that it’s hard to surpass the aesthetic significance of Chinese porcelain after the Song Dynasty. So, for our contemporary artists, including young artists, the first thing to do is to learn in the kingdom of ceramics. After we learned from the ancestors and the West, we need to go back to our heart to explore the implications of ceramics to each individual. The tradition should not only be inherited, but also need to be innovated. And the original intention of "BLANC DE CHINE" is to fulfill this goal for young people, for young artists, and for the future of national and world arts.