Amber Lei — Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio
August 2017


Interior of Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio, located in Sheung Wan.

Nowadays most art graduates probably feel like they can only set up a studio after they retire from another profession, or that they need to “reach heaven in a single bound” (succeed immediately). A lot of people do start off wanting to become artists, but this is an impossibility, at least in Hong Kong, because people don’t understand ceramics. We need to help the general public understand what is ceramics, and why a piece of ceramics or pottery requires so much hard work and so much time to make. They may think, “Ah, I can buy the same piece of pottery from IKEA, why do I need to pay double to buy your work?” If someone were to ask an artist that, then the artist might question their own work, and feel that no one understands their art, and stop creating. When you understand ceramics, then you will be more willing to support ceramists. Then in the future, when art graduates start their livelihoods in society, the societal environment will no longer be one that has the attitude that one cannot survive off of art.

Another difference between the fresh art graduates from Hong Kong and those from China and the West is that the graduates from Hong Kong don’t really think about the aforementioned situation from different angles. When they find something that they want to do, it’s a good thing to have a goal and direction, but they don’t really understand that to fulfill your dreams requires the support of other people. Unlike those educated in Britain, Hong Kong students don’t understand how to promote and package oneself, because a Hong Kong art education doesn’t include teaching the practical skills that being a professional artist requires, and only emphasizes artistic knowledge and skills. Therefore, very few successfully become full-time ceramists.

Which type of ceramic art is your favorite?

Actually I don’t have one favorite, but I really like blue and white pottery. In Chinese culture, blue and white pottery is an art that we can be immensely proud of, and the blue and white pottery of China is second to none. When you look at a blue and white pottery, you can discover that the color combination is something that one can never tire of. Blue and white pottery also exists in our daily lives, but maybe we don’t pay much attention to it. We see them at Cantonese restaurants, and maybe at home even the bowls we use are blue and white pottery. In hotels, or antique shops, we can also see a lot of blue and white pottery. It can be found everywhere, but we often don’t notice. But when we do notice it, even if we look at it for several lifetimes, we won’t be weary of it. Besides the contrast of colors, the details and images and artistry are also very fine. The blue and white pottery in my house has been there since I was small, and I see it every time I enter my home. As I grew older and my interest in ceramics intensified, I discovered that it means something different now compared to when I was younger, and that I can discover details that I didn’t notice before. I started to pay more attention to it, and it made me interested in blue and white pottery too. So I guess it can be said that blue and white pottery is one of the styles of pottery that I like. It exists in our daily lives, and it can be simple, or refined, or grand.