Image: Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum has announced a special exhibition titled ‘Dreaming Architecture: Fragments of Architecture in Ancient Chinese Mingqi,’ scheduled for 10 October to 20 December 2026. The museum says the show will focus on ancient Chinese ‘architectural mingqi’ and will bring together around 120 works, ranging from ceramic architectural components and depictions of buildings on pottery to contemporary ceramics that evoke architectural ornament.
In the museum’s announcement, ‘mingqi’ is explained as ceramic models of houses, furniture and other objects placed in tombs in the hope of providing a rich life after death. The exhibition uses that tradition as its point of departure, framing architecture not only as a practical structure but also as an image carried across objects, surfaces and memorial contexts.
The title ‘Dreaming Architecture’ points to that broad approach. Rather than concentrating on one medium alone, the exhibition is set to combine historical material with modern ceramic works that respond to architectural forms and decoration. According to the museum, the presentation will include pieces made of ceramic building parts, ceramics painted with architectural imagery, and contemporary works that suggest architectural embellishment.
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, based in Japan, regularly presents exhibitions connected to ceramic history, technique and interpretation, and this project continues that focus through a cross-temporal theme. By linking ancient Chinese funerary ceramics with present-day ceramic practice, the exhibition places architecture within the larger history of objects made in clay, where building, image and ritual purpose intersect.
The museum’s announcement is concise, but it indicates a substantial display rather than a small survey. With approximately 120 works, the exhibition is expected to offer a wide view of how architecture appears in Chinese ancient ceramics and how that visual and material legacy can be reimagined in contemporary ceramic art. The show runs at Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum from 10 October to 20 December 2026.
