Essensualism: Shang Xia and the Craft Spirit of Chinese Design

Description

This lavish and beautiful book celebrates the long and rich heritage of Chinese crafts and its increasing influence on Chinese contemporary design. Exploring the awakening craft spirit in contemporary Chinese design, it comprehensively introduces the pioneering and inspirational work of one of its leading proponents, Shang Xia. A design-led brand, Shang Xia's ethos is implicitly tied to concepts of leisure and wellbeing. Its mission is to change the understanding of 'made in China' and preserve vitally important handicrafts by marrying contemporary with age-old crafts. In over 500 colour photos, featured crafts include lacquer and eggshell lacquer, jade and agate carving, silk embroidery, cashmere felt, bamboo carving and weaving, furniture making and porcelain. The book also features interviews with heavy hitters of the design world including the Japanese artist Kengo Kuma, the Chinese artist Ding Yi, former International Head of Chinese Arts Department at Christie's Geraldine Lenain, and former CEO of Hermes SA and Chairman of Shang XiaPatrick Thomas. Other key contributions include a Prologue by John Elkann, Chairman and CEO of Exor, Prefaces by Ming-Chu Fung, the former director of Taipei Palace Museum Ming-Chu Fung, and Ya-Ming Wang, the former Executive Vice President of the Palace Museum and President of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Industry Committee of the CCIA, and a Foreword by Prof Han Jian, the Director and Chief Curator of the Arts Museums of the China Academy.

Charlotte and Peter Fiell are leading authorities on the history, theory and criticism of design and have written over 60 books on the subject. They are among the leading commentators on contemporary Chinese furniture design having previously written the first comprehensive book on the subject, Contemporary Chinese Furniture Design - A New Wave of Creativity (Laurence King, 2019) and having also curated a major exhibition on the subject in Shanghai in 2019. Jiang Qiong Er is one of China's most renowned contemporary designers and is the founder of Shang Xia, a design-led brand that is at the forefront of the emergent arts-and-crafts-inspired 'New Chinese Design' movement. Her pioneering work for Shang Xia has been collected by major museums all over the world, including the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs (Paris).