Contemporary Ceramic Art Focusing On Social Issues

After a century of hard work,potters from all over the world have finally opened up the multiple patterns of modern pottery.At the turn of the century,a large number of scholars' critical reflection on modernity promoted the transformation of modern ceramic art into contemporary ceramic art.Contemporary ceramic art is closely related to contemporary art,and it deserves its name only if each of them reflects its contemporary nature.It is not justified by its current output and exhibition.How to think about contemporary character has become the background of this research topic.The author first combed the five characteristics about contemporary character,reconsidered contemporary ceramic art,and tried to find the trace of contemporary character in contemporary ceramic art at home and abroad.In the end,the argument was locked in contemporary ceramic art that focuses on social issues.Since the 1970 s,a small number of ceramic artists have been unable to settle for only the exploration of media materials and the expression of artistic language.They have begun to focus on some important social topic from different historical contexts.From The Dinner by American art educator Judy Chicago,to the attention of Japanese ceramist Nikaido Nakado on natural disasters,and to American ceramist Catherine Rose's discussion of human diseases and nursing issues,they presented female situation,environmental problem,and health problem that occurred in their respective lives by artistic forms,enabled people to face and think about different social issues under the care of an art,and made artistic creation beyond the scope of pure visual aesthetics.What they did has the significance of social practice.The social issue I am concerned about is deaf children in special education.As members of a social organization,their mental state,learning status,and how to integrate into the society smoothly should be paid full attention.In the autumn of 2019,the author set up a Tao Yang experimental class for deaf children in Anshun school for the deaf and dumb,Guizhou province,and tried to apply the healing function that sheexperienced during the process of making ceramics to the teaching of pottery art in order to enligten this group of Children in a silent world.The eight students in the experimental class,aged 7-12,all had different levels of psychological problems and occasionally had a slight tendency to violence.Based on the aesthetic education teaching concept of making ceramics,and nurturing beauty,the author offered relevant art courses for deaf children: graffiti,super clay class and ceramic art.Among these three media,the focus is on how to use ceramic art as art creative media in art therapy for the deaf.The experimental class lasted three weeks,during which the author accompanied them at the same time to teach and record their learning process.Through the development of Tao Yang experimental class,they can relieve their emotions in ceramic art creation and learn how to express their feelings.This kind of aesthetic education is to improve their ability to communicate with each other and their ability to control their emotions.Ceramic art for them is the bridge to the world.Through the practice of Tao Yang experimental class,the author deeply feels the necessity of art intervention in society and the healing function of art.All of this lies in emotional communication.This perception inspired the author's graduation creation,named Hope for Children.This group of works is a gift for eight children,with the author's care and expectations.It also contains the value of their existence.It's them who inspired the author and taught the author how to love.