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"Mysterious glazes - Yue celadon from China. Works by Shi Zhen"

On Friday, June 19, 2026 at 7 p.m., the Couven Museum invites you to the grand opening of the special exhibition "Mysterious Glazes - Yue-Celadon from China. Works by Shi Zhen". The renowned Chinese ceramic artist Shi Zhen will be present in person. The exhibition provides insights into the artist's work against the backdrop of the millennia-old tradition of Yue celadon. Admission to the opening is free.

The exhibition is part of the program celebrating the 40th anniversary of the city partnership between Aachen and Ningbo and will be presented at the Couven Museum from 20 June to 30 August 2026. Around 20 selected celadon vessels by the artist from Ningbo, a city in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, which is considered an important center of historical Yue kiln ceramics, will be on display.

The cabinet exhibition takes visitors to the origins of one of the most important ceramic traditions in the world. Yue-Celadon is often referred to as the "mother porcelain" of China. Already during the Eastern Han Dynasty, outstanding ceramic works were created in the region around Lake Shanglin near Ningbo, whose mysteriously shimmering glazes still evoke admiration today. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the region developed into a veritable "porcelain capital" of China.

The exhibition focuses on the extraordinary works of Shi Zhen, who has been preserving the tradition of Yue celadon for more than 30 years while at the same time innovatively developing it further. Her works are characterized by technical perfection, artistic sensitivity and the characteristic, finely nuanced glaze that has made Yue celadon famous worldwide.

Shi Zhen, born in 1972 in Yuyao (Zhejiang province), completed her studies at the renowned Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute and is now one of the most important representatives of contemporary Yue celadon art as a senior craft artist. Her work has won numerous national and regional awards and has been included in major museums in China. International exhibitions have taken her to Guangzhou, Ningbo and Rouen in France, among other places.

With this exhibition, the Couven Museum offers a rare opportunity to experience the legendary Celadon porcelain once produced for the imperial court and its contemporary interpretation at close quarters. The presentation combines art-historical tradition, cultural exchange and contemporary Chinese ceramic art in a special way.

Opening
: Friday, June 19, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Couven Museum,
AachenIn the presence of the artist Shi ZhenFree admission

Dates of the
Cabinet Exhibition: June 20 to August 30, 2026

Couven Museum
Hühnermarkt 17, 52062 Aachen
Tel.: +49 241
432-4421info@couven-museum.de

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