‘Traces’ is inspired by the practice of calligraphy and its importance in Chinese culture, and particularly by a calligraphic stroke called ‘traces from a leaking roof’ (wu lou hen 屋漏痕). In Chinese culture, the calligraphic stroke is long thought to encapsulate not only bodily movement but also spiritual and emotional expressions of the person yielding the soft, pointed brush. By changing the medium from ink to ceramics, and placing the drops on walls and inside large rooms, Liu Jianhua transforms the traditional perception and aesthetic experience of calligraphy, magnifying and giving body to fluid strokes.

Liu Jianhua (b. 1962, Ji’an, China) is one of the most established ceramic artists in China, now based in Shanghai. He began his career at a young age in the Sculpture Factory in Jingdezhen. In 1985, he was admitted to the Fine Arts Department of the Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute and graduated in Sculpture in 1989. He then began teaching at the Institute of Fine Arts in Kunming, Yunnan. Since 2004, Liu has been a professor in the Sculpture Department of the Fine Arts School of Shanghai University.