In a quiet studio in Jingdezhen, a Chinese city famous for its ancient porcelain heritage, Turkish artist Dilan Atasayar guided a brush dipped in cobalt blue across the curve of a white clay body.
Under her steady hand, two ancient civilizations seemed to meet, as intricate vine motifs from traditional Turkish art intertwined with the flowing ribbons of the "Flying Apsaras," the celestial beings depicted in China's ancient Dunhuang murals.
For Atasayar, a PhD student at Jingdezhen Ceramic University, this city in east China's Jiangxi Province has become a "second hometown." Her artistic journey, however, began thousands of miles away in Iznik, a Turkish city renowned for its historic ceramic production.
Centuries ago, Jingdezhen exported its ceramics, including the exquisite blue-and-white porcelain, to Central Asia, West Asia, Europe and Africa via the ancient Silk Road, profoundly influencing the development of porcelain making in places like Iznik.
Growing up in Iznik, Atasayar spent her childhood gazing at these Eastern ceramic treasures in local museums, fascinated by the blue motifs that seemed both foreign and familiarly connected to her own culture.
After spending eight years studying traditional ceramic arts in Türkiye, Atasayar decided to trace the roots of that inspiration. In 2023, she enrolled in a doctoral program at Jingdezhen Ceramic University, and has been studying to master Chinese ceramic techniques such as blue-and-white shading and underglaze painting.
But her exploration has gone beyond traditional ceramics. After settling in Jingdezhen, Atasayar became fascinated by a flourishing artistic trend: the creative fusion linking Jingdezhen's porcelain with the aesthetics of Dunhuang, a historic hub along the ancient Silk Road in northwest China.
Her artwork "The Friendship Vase" is currently on display at the Jiangxi provincial art museum as part of the "Dunhuang in Glazes" exhibition, drawing visitors from home and abroad.
Atasayar is not alone in her creative pursuit. She is part of a growing community of foreign artists in Jingdezhen, who have been drawn by the city's porcelain-making heritage and open atmosphere. Today, the ancient porcelain capital hosts thousands of international artists who, like Atasayar, find new inspiration in old traditions.
With the sister-city bond established between Iznik and Jingdezhen in 2021, Atasayar sees her work as more than just art, but a modern continuation of the ancient trade routes.