JIANG QIONG ER
b. 1976, ChinaJiang Qiong Er (b.1976, Shanghai, China) is an interdisciplinary artist working at the crossroads of art and design. Qiong Er’s practice draws on China’s centuries-old craftsmanship traditions, blending them with contemporary aesthetics and techniques. Born into a family of artists and creators, from the age of six, Qiong Er was taught traditional ink painting and calligraphy by renowned Chinese masters. Qiong Er’s grandfather, Jiang Xuan Yi, was one of the first Chinese artists to travel and study abroad, pioneering Western art in China, while her father, Xing Tong He, is a well-known Chinese architect. After graduating from Tongji University’s design school, Qiong Er studied furniture and interior design at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. After returning to China, she forged a career as an entrepreneurial artist and designer across painting, furniture, jewellery, graphic and interior design, bridging Western approaches with Eastern traditions.
In 2008, Qiong Er was approached by Hermès CEO Patrick Thomas to work on the launch of a new Chinese luxury brand. In 2009, she co-founded Shang Xia, a contemporary lifestyle brand, in partnership with Hermès, serving as artistic director for ten years. During the same period, the French government recognised her contribution to cultural exchanges between China and France, appointing her a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République Française (2013) and Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite de la République Française (2016). Alongside this, Qiong Er was awarded Cavaliere dell‘Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana by the Italian government in 2023. In 2024, she continued developing her artistic language, exploring the essential and metaphysical issues in her practice through her solo exhibition Guardians of Time at the Guimet Museum, Paris. As part of the exhibition, Qiong Er developed The Twelve Calls, a set of sculptures that draws on Chinese, Egyptian, Mayan, and Indian mythologies and modern technology. The Twelve Calls was acquired for UNESCO’s permanent collection.
Qiong Er’s art and design work is also part of The British Museum, London; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Sydney; and the Shanghai Museum East. In 2024, Qiong Er curated and showed works in two exhibitions, Nature, the Muse!, Maison & Objet Design Factory, Hong Kong, and Jeux de Mains, for Comité Colbert, Zhang Yuan W4, Shanghai.
Courtesy Waddington Custot
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