In the world of contemporary art, jewelry is often seen as purely decorative. But for artist Qianying Zhu, it is much more than that. To her, jewelry is a visual language—one that can shift meaning and challenge traditional forms of storytelling.
Born in China and now based in New York, Zhu has developed a unique voice in the field of contemporary jewelry. Her work often features the Chinese zodiac, but not in the usual way. Instead of treating the zodiac animals as fixed symbols, she uses them as flexible tools in open-ended stories. These animals don’t just represent tradition—they are reshaped, fragmented, and scattered, like pieces of a dream or digitally altered images.
This approach is clear in her series Transformation Experiment. In it, Zhu pushes the zodiac animals to the edge of recognition. She uses 3D-printed materials, soft flocked surfaces, and enamel to create pieces that feel both sculptural and wearable. The animals look stretched and distorted, as if caught in a moment of change. Rather than symbols of identity, they become signs of how identity itself can shift.
Zhu’s ideas go beyond simple symbolism. In works like Oops, the zodiac animals look like popcorn spilling from a bowl—accidental, playful, and frozen mid-motion. With humor and a surreal, childlike touch, she turns jewelry into what she calls a “physical annotation” of life. It’s less about the material and more about emotion and experience.
Her choice of materials reflects her interest in contrast. She blends soft and hard, handmade and industrial, playful and ceremonial. These combinations not only create a rich sensory experience but also act as a cultural mix. She respects each material’s nature but also breaks the rules around it.
Zhu often uses fabric in her work, adding another layer of texture and meaning.
Her pieces have been shown around the world and have earned awards including the Brussels Jewelry Week Award, the MUSE Creative Award, and the NY Product Design Award. But what truly defines her practice is her refusal to follow strict rules. Zhu isn’t trying to protect a single cultural story. She is more interested in reshaping tradition through playful, experimental methods.
In her hands, jewelry becomes a way to explore how culture, identity, and meaning are always in motion. She takes traditional symbols, removes them from their original context, and rebuilds them with new materials and ideas. Through this, she turns small, detailed forms into reflections of how we see and move through modern life.
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