Ceramics from China, Japan, Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia punctuate the transitional nexus space between the new David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing and original Harn Museum galleries. The ceramics from across Asia remind us that the Silk Road and Silk Maritime routes were avenues of new cultural contacts that greatly influenced art, literature and trade. Many cultures along the Silk Road assimilated ceramic traditions from neighboring and traveling peoples while adapting them to reflect their own tastes and distinct regional influences.
Ceramics from across the disparate regions are displayed together to create a visual dialogue that highlights the interplay of inspiration among cultures, such as vessel shapes, colors or decorative motifs. Grouped in the wall cases by geographic area, the ceramics simultaneously demonstrate the great range of creation dates (2500 BCE – 2010 CE) and production techniques of the various artists. By sharing an exhibition space, these diverse works offer potential connections, embodying the cultural and artistic exchanges that have influenced the internationalization of creativity through the arts.
