Ceramics

2003

Length:28.2 x Width:31.2 x Height:87.4 (cm)

Wu Shui-Yi (b. 1961, Fengyuan, Taichung) graduated from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts (now National Taiwan University of Arts) and later earned a master’s degree in Fine Arts from National Taichung University of Education. He has worked as an industrial designer and high school ceramics teacher before fully dedicating himself to ceramic research and creation. Wu is renowned for his wood-fired ceramic works, and currently teaches at Asia University and National Taichung University of Education. His work has received numerous honors, including awards from the Taipei Fine Arts Exhibition, the Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, and the Golden Ceramics Awards. He has held solo and group exhibitions both in Taiwan and internationally.
Tower #13 is part of Wu’s Tower series, a conceptual extension of his earlier Castle series. Whereas the Castle series embodied a sense of grounded security, the Tower series aspires upward—symbolizing Wu’s personal pursuit of elevation beyond comfort and limitation. Constructed by stacking slabs of soft clay, the piece retains its original “block” form. Wu then impresses, strikes, beats, and even pierces the surface using his fingers, wooden sticks, planks, and bricks, leaving behind raw imprints of emotion and presence. The work is fired in a wood kiln for six days, undergoing the intense trial of flames. The result embodies a spirit of ascension and transformation, revealing the primal sincerity and beauty unique to wood-fired ceramics.

Accession number:20200100066