Scandinavia Trip
(Epilog for Scandinavia Museum)

In March 2nd of 2003, I attended the opening of the “China Ceramics Today” exhibition in Grimmerhus Museum, Middlefart, Denmark. During the opening-day lunch, the subject of exchange program was discussed. I introduced the plan that Fuping Pottery Village (FPV) planned to build FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums (FLICAM) in Fuping China. The first stage of the plan will build a museum for Danish artists in Fuping. In the afternoon, Dr. Hsu was invited to visit the other section of the Denmark Keramik-museum in Guldagergard with art director Ann Linnemann and senior ceramic artists Nina Hole. Further discussion on the exchange program was also discussed in Guldagergard in the next two days and I also made the first draft of the exchange proposal there.

Five Danish artists, Ann Linnemann, Bodil Manz, Nina Hole, Michael Geertsen, and Steen Lykke Madsen visited Fuping on the 10th of May. They only worked two weeks but did 50 piece wonderful work in Fuping. Interesting enough, almost all of them choose Tang -3 color glaze to decorate their works. They also use the existing mould in the factory to create their work. During their visit an idea brought up. It was suggested that the Denmark Museum should be expanded into a Scandinavian Museum to include other Nordic countries. The management of FLICAM immediately accepted this idea and would like to invite more Scandinavia ceramic artists to come to Fuping in the fall of 2005 to do the work and have opening of the Museum and the Exhibition in November. All the work done by Danish artists will be stored and join the opening show of Scandinavia Museum in 2005.

At the end of 2004, I lined up one key artist for each country to organize a group of artists for each country to come to Fuping. They are Jennifer Forsberg for Sweden, Ole Lislerud for Norway and Tapio Yil-Vilkar for Finland. In the beginning of 2005, they gave me the list of artists from all these three countries. They are: Jennifer Forsberg, Ulla Viotti, Renata Francescon, Jakob Robertsson, and Maria Angquist Klyvare from Sweden; Ole Lislerud, Helene Kortner, Christina Peel, and Marian Heyerdahl of Norway; Tapio Yli-Viikari, Pekka Paik-kari, Kirstin Riska, Kati Tuominenand Kim Simonsson and Erna Aaltonen of Finland. All artists were scheduled to come to Fuping to attend the workshop in September/October of 2005 and the opening date is set for November 13th of 2005.

The basic structure of the Scandinavia Museum is done as early as late 2004 but it was considered to be used for studio. Then in the middle of 2005, we found it was not practical to have a studio that far away from the main ceramic production area. It was then suggested to make this building as a Scandinavia Museum. In order to do so, a glass room addition was added as the new entrance.

In May 2005, I visited four Scandinavia countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. I stayed two days in each capital. The purpose was to visit those artists who might come to Fuping, China later that year to create art work for the FuLe Scandinavia Museum in Fuping China.

In May 2005, I visited 4 Scandinavia countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. I stayed two days in the capital of each country. The purpose was to visit those artists who might come to Fuping, China to create art work for the FuLe Scandinavia Museum in Fuping China.

I went to Copenhagen first and met Nina Hole of Denmark and Jennifer Forsberg and Ulla Viotti of Sweden the first day. They all recommended me visit the Norby Gallery the next day to see the ceramic show of Barbro Aberg. So I went there the next day. It was a good show and Barbro’s work is also outstanding. I invited her to come to Fuping and she expressed her willingness but not this year. It surprised me that this gallery is managed by Bettina Koppe, the wife of Michael Geertsen who also came to Fuping and worked in 2004. So, Bettina get him over and he also asked Steen Lykke Madsen who also worked in Fuping in 2004. We had a Chinese dinner and visited Michael’s studio.

The third day I flew to Oslo, Ole Lislerud came to airport to meet me and take me direct to a famous 120 years old ceramic town Porsgrund where there is a festival. I saw several exhibitions including the one by Helen Kortner who is also scheduled to come to China. I attended their closing ceremony dinner and met many people. I visited Ole’s school next day and his studio. I also visited a park where many winning ceramic installations established there. One of them was made by tiles, a mosaic art, made by Maria Angquist Klyvare, a Sweden artist. It happened that she was there and we met so I told her that I will see her again in Sweden the day after. That evening Ole invited me to a dinner at a hill top restaurant where you can view the whole town and harbor of Oslo.

In the morning of the 5th day, I flew to Stockholm and met Jakob Robertsson. He is the one who will come to Fuping and make art for the Scandinavia Museum. With his help we visited many art gallery and visited over 90 years old artist Hertha Hilfon. I visited her 7 years ago and introduced her work in the first issue of Chinese Potters Newsletter. At that time she expressed that she wanted to visit China. Now she said that she will not go to anywhere. As I promised I went to meet Maria and I also I learned she was one of the member in a government committee who award assistance to artists. The 4 Sweden artists were applying travel assistance for coming to Fuping. Maria told me that they will be approved and she also told me that she also like to come to China but she can not ask such travel money. I told her if she is willing to do a large tile installation for the Scandinavia museum, I could help her to come to China. She gladly agreed to install a large tile wall for us and she like to use birch tree as the subject because it so much represents all Scandinavia countries.

My last stop was Helsinki in Finland, Tapio Yli-Viikari of Finland Design School is the organizer for the Finland artists to come to China. We visit Tapio’s school and met many artists. There was an excellent show by ceramic artist Kim Simonsson who is also one of the artists may come to China we also visited the Arabia Porcelain Factory, a company closely related to the Design School and met artist Kati Tuominen-Niittyla. The most impressed trip was next day to visit Fiskars Village. A village combined art, artcraft, manufacturing, leisure and education together. There is a clear creek runs through the village and the village is surrounded by mountains and woods. It held a major European Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2004. Many artists and designers are living here. We visited a lady ceramic artist Erna Aaltonen.She is also willing to visit China. On the way returning to Helsinki, we stopped a place where famous ceramic artists Pekka Paikkari is preparing his major hanging installation work in a big hall. He is also one of the artist Tapio planned to visit China.

My Scandinavia trip concluded in busy and fruitful. It definitely gave me confidence that we will have good artists in Fuping from Scandinavia.