Chinese artist Pu Xiaoyue discovers Saxony and Meissen porcelain!

Chinese artist Pu Xiaoyue discovers Saxony and Meissen porcelain!

This year, the cultural capital of Chemnitz will be enriched by a very special visitor: the Chinese artist Xiaoyue Pu is in Saxony for three months and delves deeply into the cultural connections between China and the region. This unique opportunity arises from an exchange program that the Cultural Foundation of Saxony and the Goethe Institute in Beijing have been running together for years. This is the first time that an artist from China has stayed in Chemnitz in this form.

Pu Xiaoyue, who was selected from around 30 applications, will spend her stay at Klub Solitaer e.V. until October 2025. Her focus is on photographs and texts, with a particular focus on the region's textile industrial history. She is also known for her critical examination of social phenomena, power structures and gender roles.

The discovery of porcelain and culture

On the first day in Chemnitz, Pu made an exciting discovery: a bladder ash tree that originally comes from Beijing. This genus was brought to Europe around 200 years ago by a French missionary and illustrates the deep connections between cultures. In her research, Pu finds that the onion pattern of Meissen porcelain, long considered Chinese, is actually a translation error. Instead of onions, it shows pomegranates - an important symbol of fertility in Chinese culture.

With this insight, the artist draws attention to the cultural appropriation and colonial practices that accompany this renaming. To express her exploration of these themes, she designs a special decor for porcelain plates depicting onions, pomegranates and plants brought together inside and out.

A creative end with culinary exchange

As the culmination of her stay, Pu is planning an evening together where she would like to serve a meal on her specially designed dishes. She emphasizes the exchange between cultures and strives to create better understanding through real encounters. “Highlighting the similarities between our cultures” is their motto during this time.

Interestingly, at the same time another artist from Saxony, the sculptor Johannes Makolies, travel to Beijing to deal with urban development and the aesthetics of concrete. This shows how lively and diverse the artistic exchange between Saxony and China currently is.

It remains to be seen what creative impulses Xiaoyue Pu will take home from her work in Chemnitz and how her time in the European Capital of Culture 2025 will help shape the artistic landscape in Saxony. The exchange program is an important step towards further promoting the connecting elements in art and between cultures.