Taoxichuan residency and iac congress

From April 19 to June 26, 2026 we participated in the Taoxichuan Art Center (TXC) & IAC Artist-in-Residency program in Jingdezhen, China.

Our primary residency project investigated and reinterpreted heritage forms from Chinese and Dutch ceramic traditions, tracing their shared aesthetic language and historical exchange.

We set a traditional Chinese chrysanthemum plate in dialogue with a Dutch gadrooned plate, applying our signature textile structure to both surfaces

and casting three iterations of each form in the unique jade porcelain of Jingdezhen.

The plates became a canvas for a message of cultural unity and harmony: ART (艺) BUILDS (筑) BONDS (结), painted in cobalt underglaze.

The three Chinese plates bear the message in English; the Dutch plates are inscribed with the corresponding characters by Chinese calligrapher Baya Zhian.

Leaving the cobalt underglaze unglazed produces a striking indigo blue that beautifully accentuates the textile structure of each piece.

Each Chinese and Dutch plate was installed on a custom made metal stand and held in place by strong magnets.

The artwork was exhibited in the IAC Residents exhibition at the Taoxichuan Art Museum from June 28 to August 30, 2026.

Our residency also coincided with the 52nd Congress of the International Academy of Ceramics in Jingdezhen, where IAC members from across the globe gathered.

In 2025 the Academy welcomed more than 250 new members representing 59 countries, and during the congress we were formally received as part of this international cohort of new IAC members.

Clay for Peace

During the Taoxichuan Art Center & IAC Artist-in-Residency, we took part in the IAC Clay for Peace project.

This project, started by former IAC president Jacques Kaufmann, brings IAC members together -either with each other or with a local artist- to create a joint artwork centered on the theme of Peace.

Having chosen a traditional chrysanthemum plate, applying our textile surface, and casting it in Jingdezhen jade porcelain, we collaborated again with Chinese calligrapher Baya Zhian.

Baya painted three plates with cobalt underglaze, inscribing 世界 和平 当下. We paired those with three companion plates spelling the same message in English: World Peace Now.

Leaving the surface unglazed produces a vivid indigo that emphasizes the tactile texture and delicate relief of each piece.

By presenting World Peace Now in both languages, the installation highlights that lasting peace depends on global unity and a shared commitment - a timely message given the current state of the world.