Before a tea vessel reaches the table, there are smaller moments worth noticing: a tool held against a turning cup, a line drawn across a curved surface, a leaf cut into clay. Here, we bring together a few of those views—from cup-making workshop films to finished teapots in YLARÉ’s selection.
At the foot of a cup
A small cup rests upside down on a turning support. One hand steadies the form while a tool works around the ring of its foot; a brush then clears away loose material. The close view gives the gesture its scale. What might look like a small finishing detail asks for repeated attention.
Each film holds on a different moment in the work.
A line on a curved surface
In another close-up, a pale cup is held on its side as a fine point places dark lines on its surface. The curve remains part of the drawing: the line is seen together with the rim and the space inside the vessel. A small surface becomes a place for expression.
Looking closely at clay
The finished clay vessels offer another kind of detail. On the teapot shown here, bamboo-like incisions follow the rounded wall, while the lid and branch-shaped knob introduce a different rhythm of curves. The close-up invites us to look at the line itself—its route, its spacing, and how it sits against the surface.
These workshop scenes sit alongside the finished teapots in our selection, inviting attention to different materials and surfaces.
Our About page introduces Cheng Lizhi and Cheng Xiaoping through their practice within Chinese literati culture, where tea, painting, calligraphy and handcrafted objects meet. That wider context gives these objects a place in daily life: something to look at closely, and something to live with.