FuHai Sun Artist Biography
Rooted in academic fine art training and shaped by years of immersive tattoo practice, his work explores the tension between body, symbol, craft, and permanence.
In 2017, Fuhai Sun began his professional tattoo practice, developing a deep understanding of tattoo linework, symbolic composition, and the visual language of contemporary body art. His early experience in tattooing became the foundation of his later artistic direction — direct, graphic, ritualistic, and deeply connected to human identity.
In 2022, he continued his academic path through graduate study in fine art. During this period, he arrived in Jingdezhen, the historic center of Chinese porcelain, where he began to study ceramic painting and traditional underglaze techniques independently.
This encounter with porcelain became a turning point.
Fuhai Sun’s work brings tattoo imagery into the world of ceramic craftsmanship. Bold lines, symbolic motifs, and tattoo-inspired visual tension are preserved beneath glaze and fire, transforming temporary visual culture into enduring ceramic objects.
His practice bridges contemporary tattoo culture and traditional Eastern craftsmanship, creating a visual language that feels both ancient and modern — raw yet refined, graphic yet quiet, rebellious yet permanent.
Through this ongoing exploration, Fuhai Sun continues to build a body of work where tattoo art is no longer limited to skin, and porcelain is no longer confined to tradition.
His works exist between object and ritual, decoration and symbol, contemporary identity and timeless craft.
What Is Underglaze Porcelain?
Underglaze porcelain is a traditional ceramic technique in which the artwork is painted directly onto the porcelain body before it is covered with a transparent glaze and fired at high temperature.
Unlike surface decoration, where patterns are printed or painted on top of a finished object, underglaze decoration lives beneath the glaze. Once fired, the image is sealed under a smooth, glass-like surface. The design becomes part of the porcelain itself — protected, permanent, and deeply integrated into the object.
The history of underglaze porcelain is closely connected to the development of Chinese ceramics. As porcelain craftsmanship advanced, Chinese artisans began exploring ways to preserve painted decoration through glaze and fire. Instead of leaving pigments exposed on the surface, they painted beneath the glaze, allowing the final firing process to lock the image inside the ceramic body.
This method became especially important in Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, where cobalt pigment was painted under a clear glaze before being fired at high temperature. Over time, underglaze techniques expanded into different colors, styles, and artistic languages, becoming one of the most recognizable achievements of Chinese ceramic culture.
The beauty of underglaze porcelain lies in its quiet depth. The artwork does not feel flat or printed. It appears suspended beneath the glaze, softened by light, protected by the surface, and enriched by the natural texture of porcelain. This gives each piece a sense of permanence that ordinary decoration cannot easily achieve.
Underglaze work is also highly demanding. The artist must complete the design before the final glaze and firing. Colors may change in the kiln, lines may shift slightly, and the glaze can alter the final appearance. Once the piece is fired, the artwork cannot be corrected or repainted. Every successful piece depends on skill, experience, timing, and a deep understanding of fire.
This is why underglaze porcelain is more than decoration. It is a collaboration between hand, clay, pigment, glaze, and kiln.
For the INKCLAW × FUHAI SUN Underglaze Tattoo Porcelain Collection, this traditional technique gives tattoo-inspired imagery a new form of permanence. Bold lines and symbolic motifs are no longer placed on the surface — they are preserved beneath glaze and fire, becoming part of the porcelain itself.
Smooth, luminous, and enduring, underglaze porcelain transforms an image into something lasting.
Why Underglaze Porcelain Is So Difficult — and So Beautiful
Underglaze porcelain is one of the most refined and demanding techniques in ceramic art. Unlike ordinary surface decoration, where an image is printed or painted on top of a finished object, underglaze work begins much earlier — directly on the raw or semi-fired ceramic body.
The artist must paint the design before the final transparent glaze is applied. Once the piece is covered in glaze and fired at high temperature, the artwork becomes sealed beneath the surface of the porcelain. It is no longer simply “on” the object. It becomes part of the object itself.
This is what gives underglaze porcelain its extraordinary beauty.
The image sits beneath a smooth, glass-like layer, creating a sense of depth that surface printing cannot imitate. The colors feel softer, the lines feel more embedded, and the entire piece carries a quiet, luminous quality. The artwork is protected by the glaze, making it resistant to fading, wear, and corrosion over time.
But this beauty comes with risk.
Underglaze porcelain is difficult because almost every step must be completed before the artist can see the final result. The color before firing can look very different from the color after firing. The glaze may change the visual depth. The heat may slightly alter the line, tone, or texture. Even the shape of the ceramic body can shift during high-temperature firing.
For customized pieces, the challenge becomes even greater. Every name, mark, symbol, or personal design must be planned carefully before glazing and firing. Once the piece enters the kiln, it cannot be adjusted like a printed surface or repainted like a finished product. A small mistake in placement, proportion, glaze behavior, or firing can require the entire piece to be remade.
This is why underglaze customization requires more time, more skill, and more patience.
Each successful piece is the result of drawing, glazing, firing, and uncertainty — a collaboration between the artist, the material, and fire itself.
For the INKCLAW × FUHAI SUN Underglaze Tattoo Porcelain Collection, this process carries a deeper meaning. Tattoo imagery is often bold, direct, and connected to the body. Through underglaze porcelain, these motifs are transformed into permanent ceramic objects, preserved beneath glaze and high-temperature fire.
The result is not just decoration.
It is tattoo art reimagined through Chinese porcelain craftsmanship — smooth, luminous, enduring, and made to last.
