About the Work
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Sheng Zhang is an award-winning contemporary jewellery and silversmithing designer maker whose designs are usually influenced and inspired by minimalist art, contemporary architecture and geometrical form.
Associating with boundary, volume, silhouette, capacity, shadow and subtle detail, his practice concentrates on exploring the connection of internal and external, positive and negative space in his vessels and containers.
Sheng’s work demonstrates an aesthetics of minimal style, purity of visual language and ethos of moderate. Questioning the relationship between the work and its surroundings as well as the role of function in a conceptual and aesthetic work of art.
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Each piece of his work is a result of a carefully controlled and purposely structured making process by using a blend of traditional metal skills with intermittent aid of digital technologies. A significant attention to details and precision is also urgently pursued in the process of designing and making.
About the Maker
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Sheng Zhang is a UK based contemporary jewellery and silversmithing designer maker. He graduated from an MFA Jewellery course at the Edinburgh College of Art, having previously studied at the School of Jewellery Birmingham City University and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan).
Sheng has won multiple prestigious awards for his work, including Young Professional Award given by Netherlands Silver Museum, Silver Award from The Goldsmiths' Crafts and Design Council and New Designers Silversmithing Award from The Goldsmiths’ Company. His work is exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collections of Victoria and Albert Museum and The Goldsmiths’ Company. Sheng has worked on commissions for both individual clients and establishments including Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance.
Educational Background
2016 - 2018
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2014 - 2016
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2012 - 2014
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MFA Jewellery
Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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BA (Hons) Jewellery Design and Related Products
School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom.
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BA Jewellery Design
Gemmological Institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), China.
Work Experiences
2019 - 2022
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2018 - 2021
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2018 - 2019
Artist in Residence. Glasgow School of Art, UK.
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Part time lecturer. Staffordshire University. Stoke-On-Trent, UK.
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Artist in Residence. School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, UK.
Awards and Public Collections & Commissions
2023
2022
2021
2021
2019
2019
2018
2018
2018
2017
2016
2016
2016
Best New Business. Craft Festival. UK.
Graduate Scholarship. South House Silver Workshop Trust. UK.
Public Commission. Rolls-Royce & Partners Finance, London, UK.
Public Collection. The Goldsmiths’ Company, London, UK.
Public Collection. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.
Goldsmiths’ Fair Graduate Bursary Scheme. The Goldsmiths’ Company, London, UK.
Young Professional Award. Nederlands Zilvermuseum, Schoonhoven, Netherland.
VAS Graduate Showcase shortlisted artist. Visual Arts Scotland, Edinburgh, UK.
Goldsmiths’ Precious Metal Grant. The Goldsmiths’ Company & Cooksongold. London, UK.
Silver Award in (3D) Design Silversmithing. Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council, UK.
New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Silversmithing Award. The Goldsmiths’ Company, UK.
Regent Silversmiths’ Award. School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, UK.
Betts/Sutton Tools Award. School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, UK.
Selected Exhibitions
2023
2023
2023
2023
2022
2022 - 23
2021 -22
2021
2020
2020
2019 - 23
2019
2019
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2017
2017
2016
2016
2016
2016
- Studio Fusion Selects. The Forge Space, London, UK.
- Craft Festival, Festival of Silver. Cheltonham Town Hall, Cheltonham, UK.
- Acquire. Crown Hotel, Harrogate, UK.
- Eye of the Collector. Two Temple Place, London, UK.
- Formed with Future Heritage. Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London, UK.
FIVE at Collect International Art Fair. Somerset House, London, UK.
Elements. Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, UK.
China International Contemporary Metal Art Exhibition. World Handicraft Industry Expo Park, Shanghai, China.
Metal Narrative. The China Millennium Monument, Beijing, China.
VOYAGERS, Munich International Jewellery Week Exhibition 2020. Germany.
Goldsmiths’ Fair. Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, UK.
Three Paths Academic Nominated Exhibition of China’s Contemporary Craft. The Craft Museum, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China.
Collect 2019. Saatchi Gallery, London, UK.
Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 Exhibition. Nederlands Zilvermuseum, Schoonhoven, Netherlands.
Celebrating Silver. Pyramid Gallery, York, UK.
Return to Shanghai. Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China.
Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. Upper Campfield Market, Manchester, UK.
Shine 2018. Goldsmiths’ Centre, London, UK.
GC&DC Retrospective Exhibition. Goldsmiths’ Centre, London, UK.
Making It Now. Gallery 3 Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, UK.
Inspired 2017. Goldsmiths’ Centre, London, UK.
New Tastes. Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, Saltaire, UK.
Marzee International Graduate Show 2016. Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherland.
Talent! 2016. Craft Central, London, UK.
New Designers. Business Design Centre. London, UK.