Galloping Dreamscape
Approximately 22CM(W)X24CM(H)X18CM(D)
Stoneware Sculpture 2025
By Solan CHIU
Solan Chiu is a distinguished Hong Kong-based contemporary ceramic artist, celebrated for her concept-driven, imaginative creations that span sculpture, mixed-media, and installation. Her work draws inspiration from personal experiences, cultural observation, and social narratives, blending both Eastern and Western perspectives into a language that is uniquely her own. Having studied in Macau and later lived in New Zealand during the 1990s, Solan’s art embraces cross-cultural dialogue, often exploring themes of identity, memory, and transformation through bold forms, unexpected materials, and vibrant colors.
Her distinctive approach has led to international recognition, with works featured in renowned exhibitions and collections worldwide. These include the Macau Museum of Art, the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C., and the Auckland Museum—where her solo exhibition Solan's Clay Road was inaugurated by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Other major solo exhibitions include The Learned Terra Cotta Parade (City University of Hong Kong, 2003), Solan’s Totem (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2012), Bing Ju Xing (Singapore Contemporary Art Show, 2017), Cityscape (Giant Year Gallery, 2018), and Kafka (Personal Structures Exhibition, Venice, 2019).
In 2012, Solan founded Giant Year Gallery, a platform dedicated to showcasing innovative contemporary art while supporting emerging artists—particularly those working in ceramics. Through both her gallery and her creative practice, she continues to influence and shape the contemporary art landscape in Hong Kong and beyond.
趙素蘭是一位備受讚譽的香港當代陶藝藝術家，以其富有概念性與想像力的創作風格聞名，作品涵蓋雕塑、混合媒材與裝置藝術。她的創作靈感來自個人經歷、文化觀察與社會敘事，並融合東西方視角，發展出獨特的藝術語言。趙素蘭曾在澳門求學，並於 1990 年代居住於紐西蘭。這段跨文化的生活經驗使她的藝術作品充滿東西方對話，經常探索身份、記憶與轉化等主題，透過鮮明的造型、意想不到的材料與鮮豔色彩來呈現。
她獨特的藝術風格獲得國際認可，作品曾在世界各地的知名展覽與館藏中展出，包括澳門藝術博物館、美國華盛頓的世界銀行集團總部，以及紐西蘭的奧克蘭博物館——她的個展《Solan's Clay Road》由紐西蘭前總理海倫・克拉克主持開幕。其他重要的個展還包括：《The Learned Terra Cotta Parade》（香港城市大學，2003 年）、《Solan’s Totem》（香港科技大學，2012 年）、《冰聚形》（新加坡當代藝術展，2017 年）、《Cityscape》（巨年藝廊，2018 年）與《Kafka》（威尼斯國際藝術展 Personal Structures 系列展覽，2019 年）。
2012 年，趙素蘭創立了 巨年藝廊，致力於展出創新當代藝術作品，並積極扶植新興藝術家，特別是陶藝創作者。透過她的藝術實踐與藝廊平台，趙素蘭持續影響並塑造香港以至國際的當代藝術發展。
Galloping Dreamscape 馳騁夢境 . Solan Chiu 趙素蘭
This series reimagines the horse not as a working animal, but as a symbol of freedom and play. No longer tied to human needs, these ceramic horses live in a dreamlike world of their own. With bright glazes, small legs, and sometimes even wings, they appear light, joyful, and full of personality. Presented on a revolving stand made of transparent acrylic, the installation captures the sensation of these horses happily galloping through a fantastical realm. The circular motion reinforces the theme of unbounded movement and joy. Positioned like performers on stage, they invite viewers to reflect on the relationship between humans and animals—and to consider what it means to live freely, and the beauty of exploration and the pursuit of freedom.
這個系列重新想像了馬的形象，不再是人類的工作夥伴，而是自由與遊戲的象徵。牠們不再受制於人類的需求，而是在屬於自己的夢幻世界中自在生活。這些陶瓷馬身披明亮釉彩，擁有短小的腿，有些甚至長有翅膀，整體造型輕盈、愉悅，個性十足。
作品以亞克力旋轉台展示，裝置設計營造出牠們快樂奔馳於夢境國度中的氛圍。旋轉的動感強化了無拘奔放的主題。如同舞台上的演出者般，這些馬匹邀請觀眾一同思考人與動物之間的關係——以及「自由地生活」的意義，以及探索與追尋自由之美的可能。
Artist Statement:
Horses have long fascinated me. They embody both strength and freedom, with a spirit that feels intelligent and noble. Their graceful forms and fluid movements evoke a natural elegance, whether in motion or stillness. Historically, they have served as partners in war, labor, and status—but in my work, I aim to move beyond these roles and return the horse to a freer, more instinctive state of being.
This series of ceramic sculptures imagines horses living in a fantastical realm, no longer tied to human needs. These “unbridled horses” represent a life beyond restraint. With short legs and occasional wings, they wander playfully through dreamlike spaces, liberated from gravity, duty, and speed.
Rendered in bright, whimsical glazes and rounded forms, each horse carries a unique personality—joyful, expressive, and full of life. These works invite viewers into a world of imagination, delight, and freedom beyond function.
Horses, with their timeless duality of strength and grace, have long been co-opted into humanity’s narratives—as tools of war, laborers, and status symbols. Galloping Dreamscape liberates them from these historical burdens, reimagining their essence in a realm of unbridled wonder. Through my new series of ceramic horses, I strip away utilitarian associations to reveal a purer truth: freedom as the birthright of all beings. These horses exist not for human ends, but as sovereign entities dancing between play and contemplation, their stunted legs rejecting speed as a measure of worth.
馬一直深深吸引著我。牠們象徵著力量與自由，展現出一種獨特的靈性與智慧。優雅的體態與流暢的動作，使馬奔馳如風時充滿動感，靜止時又自帶沉思氣質，散發出天生的高貴感。牠們與人類的關係源遠流長——曾是戰爭中的夥伴、勞動的幫手，甚至是權力與地位的象徵。然而在我的創作中，我希望能擺脫這些功能性的標籤，將馬還原為最純粹的存在，從歷史賦予的角色中獲得解放。
這一系列的陶瓷雕塑描繪的是一群生活在幻想世界中的馬匹。牠們不再為人類奔波，而是在屬於自己的自由天地中自在遊走。這些「脫韁之馬」象徵著一種不受束縛的新生命。牠們短小精緻的四肢，不再為速度而生，而是悠然漫遊在充滿遊戲與探索的夢境之中。受到「天馬行空」的概念啟發，我創作了擁有翅膀的馬匹，牠們彷彿超越重力的限制，擺脫對地面的依賴，自由飛翔於無垠宇宙之中。
牠們的造型圓潤可愛，釉色鮮明而富有童趣，每一匹馬都擁有靈動的表情與獨特的姿態，展現出活潑愉悅的個性。這些雕塑不僅僅是對馬的外形呈現，更是邀請觀眾走入一個關於自由、純真喜悅與無拘想像的世界。
馬，作為力量與優雅兼具的象徵，自古以來就被納入人類的敘事中——牠們是戰爭的工具、勞動的夥伴與地位的象徵。*《馳騁夢境》*讓牠們擺脫這些歷史負擔，重新在一個奔放自由的幻想國度中展現本質。透過這一系列陶瓷馬匹，我試圖去除人們對牠們的功利性聯想，揭示一個更純粹的真理：自由，是萬物與生俱來的權利。這些馬不再為人類目的而存在，而是作為獨立的生命個體，遊走於遊戲與沉思之間，牠們短小的雙腿正是對「速度即價值」的婉轉拒絕。
Mysterious Flower 神秘的花
Size尺寸
40cm(l)×10cm(w)×28cm(h)
Stoneware 石器
Solan CHIU 趙素蘭
2024
Mysterious Green Fish
神秘的綠色鱼
Size尺寸
42cm(l)x10cm(w)x20cm(h)
Stoneware 石器
Solan CHIU 趙素蘭
2024
Mysterious Blue Fish
神秘的藍色鱼
Size尺寸
46cm(l)x10cm(w)x17cm(h)
Stoneware 石器
Solan CHIU 趙素蘭
2024
Big Plate (Bronze)
大碟(青銅色)
Size尺寸
46cm(l)x10cm(w)x17cm(h)
Stoneware 石器
Solan CHIU 趙素蘭
2024
A Journey Through Time 穿越時空的旅程 . Solan Chiu 趙素蘭
In her latest series, Solan Chiu transports us to a mysterious future world, where the boundaries between fish, flowers, and stone blur into a dreamlike abstraction. Inspired by a vision of traveling through time, she imagines a landscape where familiar forms take on new, enigmatic qualities.
These ceramic pieces embody this ethereal journey, each one crafted with a unique blend of imagination and artistry. The fish-shaped artworks, rendered in a spectrum of glazes—from serene blue to vibrant green, yellow, orange, and golden bronze—defy ordinary perception. Their surfaces are intricately textured with patterns of petals, flowers, and plants, merging elements of nature into their forms. The result is an otherworldly collection of creatures, both recognizable and alien, as if seen through the lens of a distant dream.
One of the standout pieces presents a red-gold flower perched on what initially appears to be a rock. Yet, upon closer inspection, the black rock itself blurs the lines of reality, revealing qualities that suggest it too could be a flower. This duality evokes a sense of wonder, challenging the viewer to question the nature of the forms before them. Are they flowers? Rocks? Or perhaps something entirely different—creatures or entities from an unknown realm where the distinctions between natural elements dissolve?
In addition to these sculptures, Chiu has created a series of functional ceramic vessels. One such piece is a big plate, its surface richly textured with intricate details of flowers and petals, glazed in a warm gold bronze hue. These vessels, while serving a practical purpose, are imbued with the same abstract qualities as the sculptures, transforming everyday objects into works of art that invite contemplation.
Through these pieces, Solan Chiu challenges us to see beyond the familiar, to embrace the mysterious beauty that lies in the unknown, and to appreciate the delicate balance between reality and imagination. Her use of black, bright red, golden blonze, and otherworldly glazes further enhances the surreal quality of the collection, adding a touch of warmth and vibrancy to her futuristic vision. These ceramics are more than just artworks; they are a glimpse into a world where nature’s forms evolve into something new and wondrous.
趙素蘭的抽象陶瓷藝術作品：穿越時空的旅程
在她的最新系列作品中，趙素蘭帶我們來到一個神秘的未來世界，在那裡魚、花與石頭之間的界限模糊成夢幻般的抽象形態。受穿越時空的想像啟發，她勾畫出一個熟悉形態變得神秘而難以捉摸的景象。
這些陶瓷作品體現了這次虛幻的旅程，每件作品都融合了獨特的想像力和藝術造詣。這些魚形作品以不同的釉色展現——從寧靜的藍色到鮮豔的綠色、黃色、橙色和金青銅色——顛覆了普通的感知。它們的表面以花瓣、花卉和植物的圖案精緻地紋飾，將自然元素融入其形態中。結果是一系列既熟悉又異域的生物，彷彿透過遙遠夢境的鏡頭所見。
其中一件突出作品展示了一朵紅金色的花，靜靜地矗立在一塊看似岩石的物體上。然而，當你仔細觀察時，這塊黑色的岩石自身也模糊了現實的界限，展現出它也可能是一朵花的特質。這種二重性引發了觀者的驚奇，挑戰他們去質疑眼前形態的本質。它們是花？是石頭？還是某種完全不同的事物——來自一個未知領域的生物或實體，在那裡自然元素之間的區分已經消失？
除了這些雕塑作品外，趙素蘭還創作了一系列功能性的陶瓷器皿。其中一件作品是一個大盤子，其表面以花卉和花瓣的精緻細節紋飾，並施以溫暖的金青銅色釉。這些器皿雖然具有實用功能，但同樣具有雕塑作品的抽象特質，將日常物品轉化為引人深思的藝術品。
通過這些作品，趙素蘭挑戰我們超越熟悉，去擁抱未知中的神秘之美，並欣賞現實與想像之間微妙的平衡。她運用黑色、亮紅色、金青銅色及其他超現實的釉色，進一步增強了這個系列的夢幻品質，為她的未來主義視野增添了一抹溫暖與活力。這些陶瓷作品不僅僅是藝術品；它們是一個世界的窗口，在這個世界裡，自然的形態進化成為全新而奇妙的事物。