Zhu Nian [朱念] , a ceramic artist based in Shanghai, China, is known for his thoughtful and story-driven creations. With a background in craft design, he brings experience from various disciplines, including sculpture and ceramics.

True to his name - “Nian” means “to remember” in Mandarin - his work is imbued with the power of memory and nostalgia. His Cabinet Series draws inspiration from the old cabinets that filled his childhood home, each carrying its own stories and connections to the past. By reimagining these cabinets as ceramic vessels, Zhu Nian explores the themes of time, memory, and the emotional ties we have to everyday objects.

Continue reading to explore more about Zhu Nian and his wonderful creations.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Zhu Nian, and I’m from the mountainous city of Chongqing. At 19, I moved to Shanghai for university, and it’s been my home ever since. Now, at 37, I’ve spent nearly two decades living and working in this vibrant city.

In university, I didn’t focus solely on ceramics. Instead, I studied a broad craft design program, exploring disciplines like sculpture, ceramics, lacquerware, and glass. After graduating, I spent five fulfilling years in the film industry, specializing in prop creation. Eventually, I decided to fully dedicate myself to ceramics, and it’s been my passion ever since.

What inspired you to become a ceramic artist? How would you describe your work or style?

My journey into ceramics began during university, where I first encountered the craft. What started as a simple fascination with using plaster molds to create ceramic pieces quickly grew into a deep appreciation for the art form. Through conversations and learning experiences with various ceramic artists, I came to understand the incredible depth and complexity of ceramics. The more I explored, the more I fell in love with the process. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else, which led me to fully dedicate myself to ceramics.

When it comes to my style, my early work was quite experimental. I tried many different forming and firing techniques, each one opening up new possibilities and fueling my curiosity. Over time, I began to discover a clearer creative path. I’d describe my work as a reflection of “exploration and growth.” Each piece represents experiments with different methods and glazes, as well as my ongoing journey to refine and deepen my connection to the art.

My style is still evolving, but I believe that, with time and feedback from others, I’ll continue to shape a more distinct and personal voice. I also hope my work can grow like a tree - rooted in solid foundations, with branches that are playful and full of life - reflecting both the vitality of nature and the beauty of art.

The concept of designing cups in the shape of cabinets gives each piece a unique story. How did this series come about? Could you share the inspiration and creative process behind it?

The idea for the cabinet-shaped cup series came to me during the Modern Home Design Expo in Shanghai. While exploring the exhibition, I was fascinated by the variety of cabinets on display - essential, functional objects with such unique designs. It struck me that incorporating the form of cabinets into ceramic cups could create pieces that are both practical and full of narrative charm. Inspired by this, I began experimenting with the idea of transforming cabinet shapes into ceramic designs.

This series is deeply personal and rooted in my own experiences. When I was in high school, my hometown in Chongqing was impacted by the Three Gorges Dam relocation project [重庆三峡移民工程], which meant that our entire county faced submersion. Many of my relatives, including my aunts, moved their old cabinets - furniture they couldn’t use but couldn’t bear to part with - to my grandfather’s house in the mountains. His home became a storage place for these cabinets, which felt like old friends, always there as part of my childhood.

Tragically, after my grandfather passed away, his house, which had fallen into disrepair, collapsed during a heavy storm. The old cabinets, along with the memories they carried, were buried in the rubble. This loss left a deep impression on me, filling me with a sense of fear about the passage of time and the gradual erasure of connections to the past. I worried that one day, like the ending of the movie Getting Home [落叶归根], I might return only to find nothing left to hold onto.

This experience inspired me to create pieces that preserve traces of time and memory. I decided to give those old cabinets a new life by reimagining their forms in my ceramic designs. Through these cups, I wanted to bring back the presence of those lost cabinets in a new and meaningful way.

As I worked on the series, I experimented with different forming techniques and glaze combinations, aiming to give each piece a unique, story-filled character. I also focused on fine details, ensuring that every cup could stand as a beautiful work of art. Each piece in the cabinet series reflects my thoughts on time, my nostalgia for the past, and my hope to create new connections through these reimagined memories.

The cabinet series includes two distinct types, and the designs featuring painted landscapes are particularly unique. What inspired these pieces, and what were your thoughts while creating them?

When designing the landscape pieces in the cabinet series, my goal was to evoke shared memories and convey warmth and good wishes. I wanted these pieces to help people feel connected to the past, as if cherished moments and emotions resurfaced while enjoying tea or using these objects in everyday life.

The inspiration came from my own experiences and fond memories of family heirlooms. Specifically, it was the images on the old cabinets in my childhood home that sparked the idea. These images, made with glass inlays on the cabinet doors, were an unforgettable part of my childhood. Every time I saw them, they reminded me of the wonderful times spent with my family and the love and care my elders showed us.

Incorporating these elements into my ceramics allowed me to reimagine those memories and share them in a meaningful way. My hope is that these pieces not only carry my personal nostalgia but also create moments of connection and warmth for others.

Why did you decide to create 100 cabinets?

Setting a goal of 100 cabinets was more of a personal milestone for myself. Of course, I’ll encounter more interesting stories and cabinets as I go, but once I’ve completed 100, I plan to take a break.

Lately, I’ve been so focused on making cabinets that my hands have developed muscle memory - I can start a piece and instinctively know what to do without much thought. While muscle memory is great for improving technical skills, it can sometimes take away from the storytelling and playfulness of the work. That’s why I think it’s important to pause now and then, to reflect and recharge.

Handmade pieces always carry a sense of warmth and emotion. You’ve created many works in different shapes - what’s your favorite part of the creative process, and why?

My favorite part of the creative process is transforming the wheel-thrown concentric forms into unique, one-of-a-kind shapes using tools to tap, cut, carve, shave, and pinch. This stage is both challenging and highly creative, as it allows me to take something simple and uniform and shape it into something full of life and personality with my own hands and tools.

This hands-on process of sculpting each piece gives me a profound sense of connection to the work. It makes me appreciate the birth of every creation even more, knowing that each one is infused with its own unique character and story.

Do you have any plans or ideas for future creations? Could you share some of your thoughts with us?

One concept I’m thinking about is a Weather Series. If the cabinet series is my tribute to time -vessels that hold memories - then the weather series will be my way of exploring the mysteries of space, capturing the essence of weather in a tangible form.

With this series, I want to preserve fleeting weather phenomena in my work, turning them into lasting moments. My hope is that these pieces will not only serve as functional objects but also convey the wonder and beauty of nature, allowing people to connect with the magic of the natural world.

It’s still an early idea, and the creative process and execution will take time to develop, but I’m excited to see where this journey takes me.