From 7 to 28 October 2010 ceramics artist Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk worked in China, at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen. His visit was part of the Erfgoed Delft project 'Delft-Jingdezhen 400 Years of Cultural Exchange'. The Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Fair, which took place in the second week, was the highlight of his stay.
Tile tableau
In the first week Van den Nieuwendijk made a tile tableau for the presentation of ceramics works of art at the fair. He was assisted by a number of other artists who were working at the Sanbao Institute in the same period. He also prepared banners and other materials to be displayed in the booth. At the opening day of the fair there was a ceremony in which the mayors of Delft and Jingdezhen signed tiles representing the agreement on cultural collaboration (in the framework of sister-city ties) between both cities. Later that week Van den Nieuwendijk decorated a tile at the booth, which attracted many visitors.
Goddess of the porcelain
In the third week, Van den Nieuwendijk decorated a vase of 3 meters height at one of the so-called 'big pot factories' in Jingdezhen. On that vase he painted the portrait of a ficticious fairy-tale figure, princess Perpetua Porseline. Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk: "She is the porcelain goddess, the protector of the porcelain. I have surrounded her with various historical elements and ornaments from Jingdezhen and Delft."
400 years of city ties
"In the design of the tiles and my other art work I have always sought to combine Chinese and Dutch themes. Prior to the start of the project, I studied the history of the contacts between Delft and Jingdezhen and I also learned about the ceramics and porcelain cultures of both cities. In the art works made in Jingdezhen, I illustrated the history of 400 years of city ties. I also combined, in an associatieve manner, themes from the Netherlands and China. And of course I was very much influenced by my impressions of Jingdezhen."
