Artist In Focus: Yeh Weni

Yeh Weni is a young Taiwanese ceramic artist living and working in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Her work is functional and decorative, ranging from cups to kitten figurines to jewelry. A graduate of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Yeh Weni started working in ceramics because she found the medium to be fun and versatile. She cites Zeng Peng (of the famed Zeng brothers) as the artist who has influenced her the most.

Drawing from daily life and Chinese traditions, Yeh Weni's work is whimsical, filled with color and comical images. Her white and blue bowls are handpainted with simple images: a single turnip resting at the bottom or an old house peeking from the edge. Her kitten figures raise their paw in mid-air, batting playfully at the observer. Yeh Weni's jewelry have an indigenous feel to them: brightly colored string, abstract ceramic pendants, bells and charms dangling from the necklaces.

In "All Sing Together," Yeh Weni pieces together a choir of more than 200 little dinner roll-headed boys, sitting and singing together.

"This piece reflects joy and happiness, and I hope it relaxes the viewers and makes them smile," says Yeh.

Title: All Sing Together
Dimensions: 1m x 1m
Medium: Ceramic