Jiang Qiong Er

Jiang 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, Cheng Shi Fa and Han Tian Heng. Qiong Er’s grandfather, Jiang Xuan Yi, was one of the first Chinese artists to travel and study abroad, pioneering Western art in China. Her father, Xing Tong He, is a known Chinese architect and the designer of the Shanghai Museum. 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, pursuing her career as a painter alongside this. 

After returning to China, Qiong Er forged a career as an entrepreneurial artist and designer across painting, furniture, and jewellery, graphic and interior design, bridging Western approaches with Eastern traditions such as felting, bamboo weaving, and marquetry. In 2008, while leading the creative direction of Hermès’ window display in China, 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 and CEO 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 in 2013. In 2016, Qiong Er was also named Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite de la République Française. For her work towards the cultural integration between China and Italy, Qiong Er was awarded Cavaliere dell‘ Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana by the Italian government in 2023.

In 2024, Qiong Er 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. On the facade of the building, she developed a monumental multi-part installation titled The Twelve Calls, a reinterpretation of the ancient Chinese caves of Mogao, Yungang and Longmen. The Twelve Calls emerged as a set of sculptures from Qiong Er’s study of ancient Chinese myth and her work with modern technology. Emblematic of our shared humanity, each creature represents a universal value: Bravery, Wisdom, Equality, Nature, Fraternity, Exploration, Time, Inclusion, Benevolence, Authenticity, Peace and Freedom. This work has since been acquired by UNESCO’s permanent collection. As part of the exhibition, Qiong Er also engaged in cultural preservation by studying and re-interpreting Nüshu, which translates literally as ‘women's script.’ This rare, syllabic writing system was once used in Jiangyong, Hunan, by Yao women to share songs, letters, and lamentations in a society that often silenced them. Taking inspiration from the characters of Nüshu, Qiong Er integrated their sloping motifs into a metal embroidery piece, Her Voice – Bravery (2024), at the Guimet Museum, and into a wood and carbon fibre cabinetry installation titled Her Voice (2025), shown at Waddington Custot, London. That same year, Qiong Er also developed a new artisanal technique for her wax paintings of mythical figures. An initial coal painting is transferred into wax through successive layers, a meticulous process inspired by artisan craftsmanship. Qiong Er’s art and design work is part of prestigious collections, including The British Museum, London; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Sydney; the permanent collection of UNESCO, Paris; and the Shanghai Museum East. Qiong Er also 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. Alongside her awards for cultural-ambassadorial achievements in France and Italy, Qiong Er was also awarded DFA ‘World’s Most Outstanding Chinese Designer’ by the Hong Kong Design Centre (2023); she was honoured as part of France’s ‘Cinquantenaire des Relations Franco-Chinoises “50 years, 50 people”’ (2014) and selected as one of ‘Forbes 25 Most Influential Chinese in Global Fashion and Lifestyle’ (2011). Qiong Er’s brand Shang Xia was awarded as one of the World’s Top 100 Most Valuable Luxury Brands by the World Luxury Association in 2012. In 2022, Qiong Er co-wrote Essensualism: Shang Xia and the Craft Spirit of Chinese Design with Charlotte Fiell and Peter Fiell, published by Laurence King, London.