Visual Arts

In 2016, Li spent three months in an artist-in-residence program in Shigaraki, Japan, where she relished the opportunity to further explore the medium of clay and also to immerse herself in a new lifestyle far from the familiar comforts of home. Inspired by the experiences abroad, and utilizing various techniques that she had been experimenting with, she produced a new series of work during the period.
Apart from works made in Shigaraki and some old works, the exhibition also shows her concern towards Hong Kong housing problems. Various installations with ready-made objects are also put on display to provide visitors with fresh perspectives into Li’s oeuvre. (Dr. Tang Ying Chi, Curator)

During the period from August to November 2016, I went to Shiragaki, one of the six ancient kilns of Japan, to participate in their Artist-in-Residence Programme at the Shiragaki Cultural Ceramics Park. there was so much for me to learn every day in the company of distinguished ceramicists from Japan and all over the world. It was an eye-opening experience. Life at Shigaraki was simple, peaceful, disciplined, and steady. Three months passed by quickly and eventually it was time for me to leave. Apart from my newfound friends and lifestyle, what I found hard to say goodbye to was the unpredictability that came with wood firing, which brought back to me that feeling of anxiety and uncertainty after each firing when I first started working with clay — the experience of happiness ‘in the making’!
Many of the pieces in this exhibition are from my Shigaraki trip, and although it has been over a year, the happiness that I experienced there is still with me. It is said that everyone has their own ‘Shangri-La’ — I am so fortunate to have found mine. (Rosanna Li Wei Han)
Rosanna Li Wei-han is a Hong Kong ceramicist and design educator. She studied ceramics in both Hong Kong and UK, From 1990 to 2010 she taught at the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and worked there as a visiting lecturer from 2010-2016. In 2016, she was a participant of the Shigaraki Cultural Ceramics Park Artist-in-Residence Programme of Shigaraki, Japan.