Forecast: Casey Chen
Casey Chen’s ceramics practice recontextualises traditional Chinese ceramics with motifs from both traditional folklore and contemporary popular culture, existing at the intersections of tradition and contemporary, of form and function.
Image credit: Casey Chen, Jug is Loving Cup, 2022, glazed porcelain, enamels, ceramic colourants and gold lustre, 19 x 9 x 25 cm. Courtesy the artist and N.Smith Gallery, Sydney
Casey Chen is passionate about porcelain. He recontextualises traditional Chinese ceramics with motifs from both folklore and contemporary popular culture, offering complex dialogues across cultures and time periods. He also draws inspiration from the other ceramicists sharing Kitchen Studios in Sydney’s Marrickville and from his involvement in Red Inc., a collective of East-Asian artists who recently exhibited their first show together at artist-led gallery Firstdraft.
What and who is inspiring your creative practice at the moment?
I’m really enjoying looking at historical examples of Chinese porcelain; they’ve consistently been objects that inspire me, and I frequently use their shapes and motifs as references within my work. Contemporary and historical examples of Kutani and Arita porcelain have been particularly influential. All the techniques I use are derived from traditional ceramic painting techniques, such as Chinese wucai and doucai onglaze decoration, where you’ll paint outlines and sketches
in cobalt underglaze and then fill in the rest of the colours with enamels in a separate firing. I’ve also been re-watching lots of old cartoons and taking inspiration from footage of ’80s anime, such as Gundam and Mazinger Z. Lately I have found it really fun to pause and draw frames from the animations.
Rosemary Lee is an artist I’ve always appreciated. The linework in her elaborate drawings and the blocks of colour she uses draw the eye and mix together optically. She’s always been supportive, and I like her approach to planning and art. I was lucky enough to have the chance...Subscribe to read this article in full
