Exhibition: Watermarks
Ceramics have deep roots in China. From the earliest ceramic finds to the development of the porcelain for which the country is world-renowned today, craftsmanship, techniques, and knowledge have been passed down through generations for nearly 20,000 years.
In the exhibition Water Marks, Danish ceramic artist Mette Maya Gregersen draws inspiration from this rich ceramic tradition. Through artist residencies in some of China’s most important centres of ceramic production, she has worked closely with local ceramic communities and been inspired by the expertise in clay, glaze, and firing techniques that has been handed down from generation to generation over centuries.
Using the idea of the mermaid as a point of departure, she set out in search of new forms and narratives along rivers and coastlines. Yet, in her encounters with the material itself and with ceramic traditions, the works took a different direction. Instead of mermaid figures, waves, stones, moons, and sedimentary formations emerged, shaped through the clay’s own transformations and the distinctive techniques she encountered during her residencies.
The result is an exhibition in which Chinese ceramic heritage meets a contemporary artistic perspective. Through sculptural works, Mette Maya Gregersen explores the traces of water, the forms of nature, and the relationship between human beings, materials, and myth. The exhibition takes visitors from the water’s edge out onto the surface of the sea and even invites them to swim alongside the mermaid, following the artist’s journey through some of China’s most vibrant ceramic traditions.
The artist residencies and the exhibition have been supported by the S.C. Van Fonden, Grosserer L. F. Foghts Fond, Nationalbankens Jubilæumsfond and the Danish Ministry of Culture.
Exhibition: Watermarks
