I met Wang Yufeng 王驭锋 the first time in Spring 2019, when he exhibited some of his work at a small exhibition in central Jingdezhen. I spent more than 10 minutes in front of his booth, which displayed only a handful of unique pieces. One particularly gorgeous tea cup fascinated me so much that I had to buy it. Following a brief conversation we exchanged contacts and Wang invited me to visit his studio in the outskirts of Jingdezhen. Although we had to catch a train (to Huangshan) the next day, I was eager to see more pieces of this young artist. Thus we got a cab which took us to the address situated in a rather industrial suburb of Jingdezhen. After reaching the area we had to pass two university gates to finally arrived at an industrial style brick building.

Nanjiao 南郊 Studio

Far away from the touristic pottery streets, Nánjiāo Studio is situated in a suburban district of Jingdezhen. Adjacent to the premises of a university this abandoned industrial building is the perfect spot for Wang Yufeng 王驭锋.

Wang Yufeng 王驭锋, short BIO:

Founded Nanjiao Studio in 2011
Started to research soda firing in 2013
Graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2014
Creator of professional tea ware since 2014
Currently living in Jingdezhen

Nature is medicine -the philosophy behind Nanjiao 南郊 Studio.

Naturally coloured utensils make us feel close to nature whenever we use them. Similar to tea they are like a massage for the soul, especially for us city dwellers. What Wang wants to convey is that man and nature are inseparable, hence his method of choice: soda firing, in which the colour of nature is “burnt” on ceramic pieces.

The effect and colour produced by this firing method resembles the colours of nature: sunsets, mountain rain, mossy rocks. It is almost as if the colours of these natural objects are getting passed on, as if they were inherent in the clay, fire, and soda which fuse into a new vessel.

“Let people feel the existence of nature through tea ware. Let them be healed by natural matter.”

(translated freely from the original Chinese text by Wang Yufeng 王驭锋)

Even though Jingdezhen offers a wide range of tea ware, I was a bit disappointed by most of it. You can find endless shops with rather overpriced and sometimes cheesily painted pieces. When I visited Nanjiao studio I felt finally that THIS is what I have been searching for: Fine porcelain with a very vibrant but almost rustic finish. I had a great time visiting the studio and drinking tea. I purchased a whole set from Wang Yufeng that day, which I basically used daily ever since I got back home.

Unfortunately an attendee to one of my workshops last year dropped the lid of the Gaiwan and it broke. I am planning to fix it with Kintsugi (a traditional Japanese method of fixing broken ceramics) at some point. But today I am really happy to have some more Gaiwans in my hands. I commissioned Wang to create a special collection of around 50 pieces to share with everyone who is as keen on tea ware as I am. And I am really happy that these beautiful pieces by Wang Yufeng are the first of many exciting featured artist releases to come.