"Take the spirit and discard the form" has always been the motto of Chinese female designer Jiang Qiong'er. This concept has always influenced her artistic design since she embarked on the artistic journey at the age of two, and later studied at Tongji University in Shanghai and the National Higher School of Decorative Arts in Paris. Jiang Qiong'er not only collaborated with Hermès to create the brand "Shang Xia", but her works are also included in the permanent collections of many world-renowned museums, including the British Museum, the Guimet National Museum of Asian Art in France, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. "Supreme" is honored to interview designer Jiang Qiong'er to discuss her insights on art and the design concept behind her new series "Bamboo Mood" in collaboration with luxury furniture brand Roche Bobois.
Designer Jiang Qiong'er
Artistic Family and Cultural Enlightenment
Jiang Qiong'er was born into an artistic family. Her maternal grandfather Jiang Xuanqi was one of the earliest Chinese artists to study abroad and one of the earliest contributors to introducing Western oil painting art to China. His father, Xing Tonghe, is a famous architect who built the Shanghai Art Museum. Such a family background enabled her to master Chinese art at an early age. When he was a teenager, he studied under many famous artists, including Cheng Shifa, who was famous for teaching traditional Chinese painting, and Master Han Tianheng, who taught calligraphy. When asked about what her study experiences in China and France had taught her, Jiang Qiong'er said: "China is like my roots, giving me a deep cultural, creative and artistic foundation. France gave me wings to unleash my creativity, allowing me to fly freely in the sky."
Jiang Qiong'er has been exposed to Chinese culture since childhood and is well versed in traditional art and literature, but she never uses Chinese elements in her creations. She explained: "Elements are 'forms', which are limited by time and have limitations. Only the spirit, or 'spirit', is what I want to keep. This is what I have always said, 'take the spirit and discard the form'. For example, in the 'Bamboo Mood' series, I did not use real bamboo, but only the spirit that bamboo represents in Chinese culture – perseverance and gentleman. I hope to achieve 'emotions are expressed in objects, and emotions are born from objects', so that people can feel the poetic and spiritual meaning of bamboo in Chinese culture. The rest are just different expression methods."
Bamboo Mood: The beauty of bamboo
Bamboo is a strong cultural symbol in China. Many ancient poems use bamboo to metaphorically represent life, which is why Jiang Qiong'er chose bamboo as the inspiration for "Bamboo Mood". The "Bamboo Mood" series includes sofas, screens, coffee tables, cocktail tables, rugs and ceramics. To highlight the clean lines of each piece, Jiang Qiong'er primarily uses two colors: coral and celadon. Celadon, a light green color named after China’s blue and white porcelain, combines the tranquility and peace of blue with the growth and freshness of green. When asked which work in the series is the most unique, she said each piece is permeated with its own unique "rhythm". For example, the coffee table looks like a newly born bamboo, exuding a profound charm; the sofa looks like a lying bamboo, making a gong-like sound; and the carpet flows freely like the wind. Therefore, each piece is as unique as a poem, and the rhythm and melody that the user wants to embrace varies from person to person.
As an artist and designer, Jiang Qiong'er believes that she is walking between art and design. She firmly believes that the essence of art is pure, able to embrace multiple viewpoints and perspectives, and guided by subjective feelings. Design is mainly based on functionality, and the works are intended to provide services for life and are the embodiment of objective expression and sharing. However, both are closely related to emotions. Art and design are the process of discovering, creating and feeling beauty.
