Mupu
Mupu is a studio based in Jingdezhen, run by a couple, Li and Ye, who have been making pottery since 2008. With a few years of shifting and movement, they decided to build their studio in Jingdezhen in 2013 where they were able to have an easier access to the material source of teaware they are crafting and meeting plenty of talented artists coming from all over China.
Taking a week of visit to different studios or shops in Jingdezhen, we were absolutely excited to find some pretty gem pieces ,but to be honest , most of time we just felt tired of alike pieces overwhelming everywhere. Copies easily grow everywhere. It were getting more and more difficult to find some works which are able to refresh our eyes as the visit was going on.
Unique, Brilliant ,Earthy … complicated feelings just hit us the moment when we stepped into Mupu studio. Our eyes literally are disoriented by the glossy brilliant soda pieces in the left shelves ,with different shades of color from one to another. When we turned to the right side ,a line of marine blue teaware just stood out and considerably redefined the glaze we had knowledge of. It was a completely different gem studio from others we have done.
Soda wood-firing
In Jingdezheng, It makes sense that the whole market is jammed with repetitive wood fired pieces when wood firing are growing in trend these years. However, on the hunt for defining themselves on their own, Mupu is doing their utmost to Jump out of normal woodfiring technique, and hone their skill in the soda firing which is not engaged in much here at the moment. They use their own blend of clay , fire the potteries with wood and soda for 30-40 hours depending on the effect expected then cool them for 48 hours , as to cause vitrified surface with multiple effects arranging in colors . Thanks to extraordinary work, Their soda-fired potteries have been displayed in many influential pottery exhibitions in China.
Marine Blue Series
“Genius”was completely our first impression when we turned to the wooden shelves which are lined with a wide range of marine blue teaware. They just blewwe our minds to the most. During our talk with the couple, we were surprised that the unique color is originated from straw ash glaze which are common to use in Jingdezhen. Most of pieces applied with this glaze appear a shade of off-white in current market. But Mupu spent almost a year making it into the balancing blue and stabilizing this blue successfully.
For Mupu, what motivates them to move forward is not to just follow the suit only . They follow and respect their beginner's mind which drives them to embark on a journey of creation. That is the key point that their crafts are not easy to be copied.