Qingdao native Wan Liya is a prodigiously gifted artist of truly international stature. Born in Qingdao in 1963, he left his previous occupation of merchant seaman around twenty years ago so that he could focus on developing and honing the copious bounty of natural artistic talent with which he has been blessed. Although he works in a variety of media, a significant proportion of his energies have been directed towards the meticulous and exacting field of ceramics and in particular, porcelain, and in this area he has achieved an extraordinary level of expertise.
Wan Liya’s resume is impressive to say the very least. Complementary to his commanding artistic presence in China, he has variously exhibited, won awards, given lectures, and undertaken terms as artist-in-residence in places as far afield as The Netherlands, Australia and North America, and in addition to all this he has somehow managed to complete a number of major commissions in China, one of which can be seen in the foyer of the Qingdao Municipal Library (Shandong Lu and Yanji Lu). This is a man of phenomenal artistic vision and extraordinary creative power.
Wan Liya’s family home is in Qingdao, but he also maintains studios in Song Zhuang (Beijing), and in Jing De Zhen in Jiangxi Province, which is famed as the centre for the manufacture of Chinese porcelain, having a history in this respect stretching back to the Han Dynasty – a period of around 2000 years. Much of Wan Liya’s time is spent working at one or other of these studios, but he has also established a studio/gallery here in Qingdao. Known as ‘Gallery 002/ 画廊 002’ he hopes it will go some way towards developing and fostering a local exhibiting base for Qingdao’s contemporary artistic talent – talent which is far from short supply.
Currently on display at Gallery 002 is a selection of some very recent ceramic works by Wan Liya and fellow Qingdao artist Jia Zhen Yao. Gallery 002 is located at Hai Xin Wai Yuan Room 002, Door 1, Building 5, 202C Yan An San Lu / 延安三路202c号海信慧园五号楼1单元002号, on the left about 150 metres down from the corner of Jiang Xi and Yan An San Roads.
Those wishing to visit Gallery 002 can call in advance 139.0642.7136.
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