It was great that I was invited by the Jingdezhen Ceramic University (JCU) as an Artist in Residence. It feels very special to work in the heart of the world of porcelain.

Jingdezhen is a historical city. The ancient emperors ordered here the making of porcelain for themselves and protected the process very well. In Europe we did not have that knowledge. Indigo, silk, porcelain and spices were imported through the Silk Road or by ships of the VOC (the Dutch East India Company). It took centuries, until the eighteenth century, before Europe succeeded in making her first rudimentary porcelain. I feel myself inspired by that history and it brings me in contact with the Chinese culture.

The international studio (Building 9 campus JCU) got loads of visitors, even the Minister of Education came to visit us. We were invited to so many events, diners of the university, exhibitions and followed by tv-crew, that coming home was a real culture shock.

It feels  good that a big part of my work is acquired by JCU and belongs now to the permanent collection of the university.                                                 I plan to return to Jingdezhen in 2025.