Vitality Clay – 12th ‘Shiwan Cup’ International Youth Ceramic Sculpture and Architectural Ceramic Art Competition, co-hosted by the China Ceramic Industry Association, the International Academy of Ceramics, and the Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum, will be on display until February 16th, 2025 at the Meitao wan · Xingguanghui Art Museum. This year, the competition attracted participation from 1,064 artists worldwide, receiving 1,526 highly creative ceramic works. At the final evaluation event, expert judges from both domestic and international backgrounds adhered to fairness, impartiality, and transparency while rigorously assessing the submitted works. Ultimately, from the 100 shortlisted entries, two First Prizes, three Second Prizes, five Third Prizes, ten Rising Star Awards, and twenty-six Excellence Awards were awarded. Notably, no Special Grand Prize was awarded this time. In the final stages of judging, the two works that received First Prizes exhibited a high level of artistic quality, each showcasing distinct advantages regarding materials and creative expression. After thorough discussion and careful consideration among the five judges, they recommended awarding both works as co-winners of the First Prize. This decision allows both pieces to coexist, enabling a broader audience to appreciate the artistic collision of different works and the diversity and inclusiveness of artistic development directions.
Between beauty cannons is one of the first-prize-awarded works. The work offers a space for reflection on the desire to achieve beauty cannons. It features containers of dietary supplements commonly recommended for healthy skin, symbolizing the accumulation of efforts to meet these social concerns, which are often closely related to consumption.
Both pieces incorporate fragmented self-portraits. The hanging piece includes a self-portrait on each side, while the wall piece blends and fragments both photographs, obscuring their origin and resulting in an abstract composition. This act metaphorically alludes to how we adapt to beauty standards, altering our physical appearance.
One of the pieces includes versions of the definition of “hope,” extracted from the Cambridge Dictionary. By rearranging the words, the meaning becomes redirected and ultimately incomprehensible. This manipulation of text and images is a metaphor for pursuing idealized beauty, which can frequently be elusive and enigmatic, mirroring the often unfathomable nature of such aspirations.
The participation has been sponsored by Ramon Llull Institute.
Read more about Vitality Clay — 12th «Shiwan Cup» International Youth Ceramic Sculpture and Architectural Ceramic Art Competition here.
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