Qianying Zhu - USA/China
Qianying Zhu
Designer biography:
Qianying Zhu holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewelry Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and a Master of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. She describes her creative philosophy as one that thinks like a toymaker. This approach is driven by continuous experimentation, curiosity, and inspiration. By merging traditional metalworking techniques with emerging technologies such as 3D printing, Zhu creates works that balance meticulous design with spontaneous creativity.
Collection concept:
A central theme in my practice is the contemporary reinterpretation of the Chinese zodiac. In this series, the twelve zodiac animals no longer function only as traditional symbols of time—they take on playful new forms and emotional roles. In Food Chain, they appear as skewered foods, evoking everyday meals like a bowl of hot soup, a piece of freshly baked bread, or a shared dish between friends—simple, familiar moments that bring warmth and comfort to ordinary days. In Candies (2025), the figures emerge as hard candies spilling from a wrapper, representing scattered fragments of time and unexpected emotion. These redesigned 3D zodiac characters serve as tangible expressions of fleeting feelings, memory, and the passage of time, adding a rhythmic visual structure and narrative warmth to each piece.
