Ceramic artist Chen San-huo (陳三火) was presented with the 2021 National Crafts Achievement Award, the country's highest crafts prize, on Dec. 11 in recognition of his work over the past six decades and his preservation of this nearly extinct technique.
Those present at the award ceremony included Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得), Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hwi (李靜慧), representative jury Shih Chen-yang (施鎮洋), Tainan Artist Society honorary chairman Lee Wen-chin (李文欽), Yeh Chia-hsiung (葉嘉雄), former director of the cultural affairs bureau (CAB) of Tainan City Government, Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山), director of CAB of Tainan City Government, past award winners, craftsmen, and others from all walks of life.
Chen San-huo expressed in a speech that he began his studies of cut-and-paste ceramics at the age of 17 and has works featured in major temples throughout Taiwan. However, as times have changed, he noticed a gradual decline in the demand for the delicate techniques of cut-and-paste ceramics. Faced with a turning point in his career, he developed his own unique variant on traditional cut-and-paste ceramic work and continues to pass down the beauty of craftsmanship.
Long been dubbed as "the artist on the rooftop," Chen San-huo has been honored with a wide array of awards and recognition, including a Lifetime Achievement Award (藝術貢獻終身成就獎) from Tainan City Government in 2015, the Global Chinese Culture Award in 2016, and being named a National Living Treasure in 2020.