Xiaoli Ning

Born in 1980, Hangzhou and Shanghai-based Xiaoli Ning takes inspiration from ancient Chinese art and poetry, and the belief that plants such as orchids and scholars’ rocks reflect human qualities, including humility and resilience. She combines two materials with contrasting characteristics in her work: ceramic and metal. The artist experiments with different clay humidities and revels in the unpredictability of her glazes. At the same time, she is drawn to the resolute strength of silver.

Xiaoli’s work has been exhibited in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, among other countries. It can be found in the collections of the China Art Museum, the Today Art Museum, the Shandong Museum, and the Folk Art Museum of the China Academy of Art. The artist has won countless awards, such as gold medals in the 8th and 9th National Ceramic Innovation Competition in China.

She teaches jewellery design at the Academy of Fine Arts at Hangzhou Normal University and is currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Handicraft Arts of the China Academy of Art, where she also studied for her Masters and Bachelors degree in ceramics. Xiaoli also has a Masters degree in jewellery from the Shanghai University School of Fine Arts.