A TALE OF PARTECIPATING IN THE GREATEST CERAMICS MARKET I’VE EVER DREAMT OF
I was invited to participate in one of the largest ceramic markets in the world, in Jingdezhen, China, in May 2025, with parallel exhibition. The city where porcelain was invented and close to the Cao Ling mountain which gives the name to kaolin.
An amazing experience for the market itself, where hundreds of exposers from all over the world were selling amazing and different ceramics, and also glass, metal and wood works, ancient pottery and books, handmade clothes and jewelry.
Before the market we visited Sanbao, a pottery village founded on ancient buildings close to the city where residencies can be done and is full of galleries, mostly about tea ware in traditional shapes and glazes. We had a tea ceremony and tried some beautiful infusions.
My friend Mirko (Fisko) and I visited many museums and pottery studios and factories, where glass makers and ceramic artist work alongside in the same building, much similar to the situation I have in my own studio!
Then the market started, we got many requests to take pictures with local people, and also got to sell most of our pieces and even get invitations for residencies.
We also visited many museums in the city and all the numerous markets which are held daily or weekly in the city.
After the market the organizers brought us to Lonquan, the home town of celadon glaze, where a interesting museum is dedicated to the history of this famous glaze, and another one is been recently finished and is about the steel and wordsmith tradition of the area.
Lonquan also has a huge centre for residencies, with fully equipped studios and laboratories and wood kilns.
The whole trip was an overall very intense and interesting experience, also a glimpse into a completely different reality, sadly too brief, but I hope to go back there at some point. Amazing food, great people from all over the world, many possibilities and ideas, and most of all, thousands of beautifully crafted ceramic pieces! It definitely an experience I advise everyone to undertake.
