March 13, 2026
Following a solo presentation of contemporary porcelainworks at Melbourne Art Fair 2026, artist Darian Duan has been invited toparticipate in an upcoming program at The Pottery Expo, where he will shareaspects of his ongoing material research and studio methodology.
Duan’s practice explores porcelain not only as a refinedcraft tradition but as a dynamic surface for experimental drawing andstructural intervention. During Melbourne Art Fair, he presented a body of workdeveloped through what he describes as “Knife Drawing,” a process in which theblade of a knife is used to cut, inscribe and shape the porcelain surfaceduring its most responsive stage. The method introduces a gestural language toporcelain that sits somewhere between drawing, carving and painting.
Alongside this approach, Duan has also been developing a material exploration he refers to as “Broken Blue,” a study of cobalt behaviour on porcelain surfaces. Rather than pursuing the historically perfected clarityof traditional cobalt decoration, the research focuses on instability, absorption and pigment dispersion within the glaze and clay body. These processes reveal new possibilities for blue as an active material rather than a fixed decorative element.
At The Pottery Expo program, Duan will discuss how these approaches emerge from both Chinese porcelain traditions and contemporary artistic inquiry. The presentation will focus on the studio processes behind the work, including the interaction between blade gesture, cobalt materiality and porcelain structure.
The invitation reflects a growing interest in experimentalceramic practices that challenge established boundaries between craft, drawingand sculptural thinking. For Duan, the exchange offers an opportunity to shareresearch with an international ceramics community while continuing to developnew directions for porcelain as a contemporary artistic language.
