Zhu Xinkui

朱新奎​

Chinese Ceramic Artist

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Visiting Xinkui and his wife Yunyun felt like reconnecting with old friends. Their three-story farmhouse in Jingdezhen serves as both home and ceramic studio, with their pet dog, Dobby, warmly welcoming us. From the moment we met, Xinkui and Yunyun’s warm energy made us feel completely at ease, like catching up with long-lost classmates.

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Unlike many artists, Xinkui’s home is not filled with antique ceramics or craft collections. Instead, his second-floor gallery displays his own work from every stage of his ceramic journey. He shared that choosing ceramics at Jingdezhen Ceramic University was a natural, almost thoughtless decision, driven by his childhood love for molding clay.

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Xinkui’s approach to ceramics is intuitive, balancing form, function, and personal expression. Each piece carries a sense of movement and “unruly liveliness,” often taking on organic shapes that seem to dance, bend, or leap, inviting a connection beyond just utility. For him, ceramics is about experience and sensation, where the standard of utility is not rigid. Each piece offers joy through the way it engages those who encounter it.

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His work is both functional and expressive, with clay serving as a canvas for exploration. The forms evoke figures in motion, reflecting his playful relationship with organic forms and a quiet rebellion against standardized expectations. For Xinkui, ceramics is a journey without definitive conclusions, where the material often 'leads,' inviting others to pause, explore, and appreciate the unique characteristics of each piece.