Chu Pan-hsiung: Hakka ceramic artist


Chu Pan-hsiung: Hakka ceramic artist
(Photo: Hakka TV)


Chinese Name: 朱邦雄

Born: 1945

Birthplace: Kaohsiung County (Northern Taiwan)

Born in 1945, Dr. Chu Pan-hsiung is a Hakka from Kaohsiung’s Meinong District in southern Taiwan. He graduated from National Taiwan Academy of Arts -- now National Taiwan University of Arts -- in 1967. After graduating, he has been engaged in design and creative jobs in well-known companies at home and abroad for more than 30 years. His professional experiences in industrial design, landscape design, interior design and special artistic creation strengthened the artist’s backgrounds in industry, science, design, art, and humanities. Later, in order to engage himself in ceramic art work, he studied ceramics and chemical engineering for many years.

Because of his knowledge of various fields, innovative design and creative experiences, and a passion for local culture, Chu brought the ceramic industry back to his hometown of Meinong in 1987 and founded the "Meinong Kiln." He also set up exhibition halls to promote ceramic wall public art, and since then he has promoted the transformation of culture and art into the tourism industry. For more than 30 years, he has led the art team of Meinong Kiln to produce many large-scale public art works on pottery walls throughout Taiwan, which have been well received by all walks of life at home and abroad.

Chu focuses on pottery wall art and uses ceramics to make creations on walls. He said that because large-scale public art, such as installation art, must take up a lot of space, he did not want his works to be reduced to small, cramped space, so he chose to combine art with the walls of buildings to present another type of public art.

Mr. Chu’s first large-scale pottery wall work was "Inheritance," which he designed for National Chengchi University in 1990. Recalling this first experience, Chu said he stood in front of the wall, trembling from the bottom of his heart. He didn't know if he could succeed and what the final result would look like. Today, you can see his pottery wall creations on campuses, in airports and Kaohsiung City’s subway station.

Chu's artwork at Kaohsiung City’s subway station

(Photo: CNA)


In 2003, Mr. Chu was awarded the title of Doctor of Fine Arts by Griffith University in Australia. Since then, he has further brought the ceramic wall art into the academic halls of schools, doing his part in cultivating talent. In addition, he was invited to give lectures on art and humanities at various government agencies, schools at all levels, and major companies in Taiwan, and was hired as a guest professor of several famous universities in China.

The process of Chu’s creation of large pottery walls is very visible and useful for social education purposes. From sculpture, segmentation, mold making, glazing, sintering, and assembly, the grandeur of the scene shows a maestro at work. Visitors who happen to witness Chu working on his creations can’t help but stand in awe. Chu himself often personally guides the general public into the scenes made by the ceramic wall, so that the people will have the opportunity to have a close-up and personal experience of how art is created, get soaked in the artistic and humanistic atmosphere, and gain a deeper understanding of art.