ISBN 978-1-941753-97-2

Published by Inventory Press & The Huntington 
Design by IN-FO.CO

Available for Pre-order
Shipping July 2026

 
British artist and writer Edmund de Waal (b. 1964) is known for the his installations of exquisite porcelain vessels in historic spaces and his engagement with the potential of ceramics. At The Huntington, de Waal’s interventions and artworks explore the movement of ideas, people, and objects—what Chinese poet Bei Dao calls the “eight directions of the wind.” Three interactive and contemplative spaces in the Chinese and Japanese Gardens—on porcelain and on shadow—and the Art Gallery—on sanctuary—encourage visitors to consider the implications of migration and exile, the material history of porcelain, and the power of sanctuary, resulting in fresh perspectives and new experiences of The Huntington’s collections.

Fully illustrated, the catalogue also includes an in-depth conversation between de Waal and cultural historian Josh Kun about the project’s connection to Los Angeles’s mix of cultures and the transmission of ideas. A selection of poems on exile that speaks to global histories of migration completes this thought-provoking tour through The Huntington’s iconic spaces.