Wan Liya (b.1963, Qingdao) is a contemporary Chinese ceramic artist. After graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing he established his own ceramic studio in Beijing.
Wan Liya is recognized as one of the earliest artists involved in contemporary ceramic art in China and has been involved in many of the significant art events that greatly influenced the path contemporary ceramics in China. Wan's work combines ceramic quality and sculptural language, respecting the time-honored tradition of Chinese ceramics and reflecting the intense change in contemporary society over the past 40 years.
In addition to his commanding artistic presence in China, he has variously exhibited, won awards, given lectures, and undertaken terms as artist-in-residence in places as far afield as The Netherlands, Finland, and Slovenia, and in addition to all this he has somehow managed to complete a number of major commissions in China. This is a man of phenomenal artistic vision and extraordinary creative power.