survey_39 — jewellery design and metal
1. Teng Fei — 滕菲 (Hangzhou, 1963)
A jewellery artist and teacher; creator of China's first “jewellery art and design” programme at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), doctoral supervisor and head of the profile.
- Path — born in 1963 in Hangzhou; in 1979–1983 she studied at the secondary school attached to the Central Academy of Fine Arts (中央美术学院附中), in 1983 she entered and in 1987 graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (printmaking faculty) with a bachelor's degree, after which she taught at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; in 1990 she left for Germany, in 1995 received a master's degree at the Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin) and since 1995 has taught at the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
- Jewellery — on her return in 1995 she was the first in the academy to open a “material experiment” course; in 2002 she created at CAFA China's first “jewellery art and design” programme at an art school (首饰艺术与设计), joining the experimental spirit of contemporary art with Chinese thought; in the 1990s she was the first in China to formulate the principle that “an ornament is made individually for a particular person”; in 2023 her autobiographical book 首饰艺术——滕菲教育自述 (recorded by Zhang Fan) appeared.
- Works and recognition — a gold medal at the 10th National Exhibition of Fine Arts (第十届全国美展) and the title “master of Chinese jewellery design”; her 梅 (Plum) series entered the state-gift fund and was presented to the presidents and first ladies of Brazil, the USA, France, Portugal and Russia; works are held in the National Art Museum of China, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, the Aarhus museum (Denmark) and other collections; solo exhibitions 梅香 (2017, 今格艺术中心), 寸·光阴 Ctrl.+S (2011), 朵·颐 (2007) and 诺亚方舟还在吗？ (2021); head of the National Arts Fund project 琳琅——首饰艺术的中国故事 and founder of the China Contemporary Jewellery Centre (CCJC).
2. Zhang Fan — 张凡
A jeweller, teacher and researcher of the Chinese court jewellery craft; professor at the School of Design of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and a bearer of the intangible heritage of filigree inlay (花丝镶嵌).
- Path — of the first master's intake in the “jewellery design” specialisation at the CAFA School of Design; she graduated in 2006 and stayed on to teach the same year; from 2003 she learned the fine-gold technique (细金工艺) from masters who restored and copied pieces for the Gugong museum, and studied the jewellery art and culture of the imperial workshops of the Ming and Qing; she took part in the restoration of a Ming-dynasty golden phoenix crown from the collection of the Guizhou Provincial Museum.
- Teaching and roles — professor at the CAFA School of Design; a bearer of the intangible cultural heritage 花丝镶嵌制作技艺; vice-chair of the arts & crafts committee of the China Artists Association, vice-chair of the jewellery-design committee of the China Jewellery Association, and a member of the Society of Jewellery Historians (UK); a recipient of a State Arts Fund grant for young artists; designer of gifts for the Belt and Road international forum; since 2003 she has taught the CAFA courses “traditional techniques and contemporary expression” and “the scientific foundations of traditional art and design”.
- Works — the series 衍异 (Yanyi), built on the aesthetics of the Wei and Jin era and on combining fine-gold weaving with the treatment of modern fabrics, is held in the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York; the brooch 礼赞——祖国万岁 (90×70×35 mm, Hetian jade, coral, Au750 gold), inspired by Qi Baishi's painting of the same name; the solo exhibition 悦饰心裁——张凡艺术首饰展 at the 荣宝斋美术馆 gallery (2020); jewellery and costume design for Song Zuying's concert at the Kennedy Center; author of the book 首饰艺术——滕菲教育自述 (2023).
3. Sun Jie — 孙捷
A contemporary-jewellery designer, curator and teacher; professor at the School of Design and Innovation of Tongji University and founder of the SUNJIE studio (Amsterdam).
- Path — in 2007 he graduated in jewellery design from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), then studied contemporary jewellery at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in the Netherlands (Sandberg Institute, Gerrit Rietveld Academie), where he took a master's degree; in 2010 he founded the SUNJIE contemporary-jewellery culture studio in Amsterdam; in 2012 he was the sole winner of the 19th international contemporary-jewellery award ENJOIA'T (Spain); in 2015 he received the PREZIOSA award (Florence) and the NEW NOMADS award (Amsterdam).
- Academy and curating — professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Design and Innovation of Tongji University, vice-dean of the Shanghai International Institute of Design and Innovation, and head of its Centre for Contemporary Jewellery and New Culture; a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK); in 2013–2018 chairman of the organising committee of the contemporary-jewellery biennial TRIPLE PARADE; organiser of exhibitions and forums at the CAFA Museum, the Hao Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai and the Tianjin Art Museum; author of the books Spirit of Luxury and Design — A Perspective from Contemporary Fashion and Jewelry (ORO Editions, USA, 2021) and 奢侈品设计之灵——当代时尚与首饰 (Tongji University Press, 2021).
- Works and collections — the brooch series 花样年华 (Young & Beautiful, 2015) on the theme of “falling in love”, in which the image of an Ice cream serves as a metaphor for the choice to accept or to let go; the work 大鱼 (2012) won the ENJOIA'T award; solo exhibitions JIE SUN & SUN JIE (MAO Space, Shanghai, 2015; 56 works from 11 collections) and CLOSE TO ME (Beijing, 2015; 19 brooches from the 花样年华 series); works have entered the permanent collections of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the CODA Museum (Netherlands), the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Koldinghus museum (Denmark), the Cominelli Foundation for contemporary jewellery (Italy) and the Barcelona Design Museum.
4. Zheng Jing — 郑静
A jeweller, teacher and researcher of metal art; professor and doctoral supervisor at the Nanjing Academy of Arts and founder of its jewellery-design specialisation.
- Path — in 1990–1994 he studied in the arts & crafts department of the School of Design of the Anhui Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering (bachelor's); in 1994 he taught in the architecture faculty of Jiangnan University in Wuxi; in 1997–2000 he took a master's at the School of Design of the Nanjing Academy of Arts in “metal craft and jewellery” (among the first masters of contemporary jewellery at Chinese art schools); in 2009 he began doctoral study in traditional Chinese craft.
- Teaching and roles — in 2000 he stayed on at the Nanjing Academy of Arts and created its jewellery-design specialisation and jewellery workshop (among the first at Chinese art schools); in 2008 head of the contemporary-craft department, in 2014 vice-dean of the NAA School of Industrial Design and head of the jewellery-design specialisation; he is now a professor and doctoral supervisor, dean of the School of Art and Design of the Nanjing Institute of Technology and a doctoral supervisor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David; vice-chair of the metal-art committee of the China Arts & Crafts Association and vice-chair of the jewellery-design committee of the China Jewellery Association.
- Works and publications — the works 星际网络 (selected for the 9th National Exhibition of Fine Arts, 1999), 中华风度 (second prize at the first national gold-jewellery competition “Jinlanbei”, 2000), 露 (gold medal at the 5th international South Sea pearl jewellery design competition, 2005) and 叠韵 (the 11th National Exhibition of Fine Arts), as well as the series 网络空间, 流沙, 屋檐下 and 岁月流痕; author and compiler of the books 中国设计全集——首饰卷, 中国现代设计全集——雕镂卷, 中国少数民族设计全集——仫佬族卷, 现代金属艺术 and 现代首饰艺术; curator of the exhibition 看见：郑静和他的学生们——现代首饰作品展 (上元书院, Nanjing, 2015).
5. Wallace Chan (Chen Shiying) — 陈世英 (Hong Kong, 1956)
A Hong Kong jewellery artist, sculptor and inventor; the first contemporary Chinese jeweller whose works entered the permanent collection of the British Museum.
- Path — born in 1956, working in Hong Kong, a self-taught artist; he began with stone carving and in 1987 invented his own carving technique 世英切割 (Wallace Cut), which joined art carving with the jeweller's craft; he was the first Chinese jewellery artist invited to take part in major international art fairs, including the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires (巴黎古董双年展).
- Inventions and materials — over some eight years he developed the use of titanium in jewellery art and in 2007 presented a “wearable sculpture” in titanium, whose weight is about one fifth that of gold; among his other patented developments are a jadeite polishing and faceting technique (翡翠切割润光, 2002), the 石镶石 method (stone set in stone), 真空妙有 and the 世英陶瓷 ceramic (2018), five times harder than steel.
- Works and collections — jewellery pieces and sculpture: The Snowflake (2020), Hera (2019), Mind Puzzle (2019), The Trails (2019), Wallace's Flying Frog (2019), A New Generation (2018), Butterfly Nebula (2018) and Fish's Dream (2009); major titanium sculptural projects 钛坦：物质与时空对话 (Venice, Fondaco Marcello, 2021; curator James Putnam, then London, Canary Wharf, 2022), 图腾 (Venice, 2022) and a sculpture exhibition in Venice in 2024; he was the first contemporary Chinese jeweller to be admitted to the permanent collection of the British Museum; the exhibition Wallace Chan: The Wheel of Time at Christie's is his largest showing in Europe.
