Oscar Wang, a multidisciplinary artist based in Shanghai, has made a career of transcending cultural boundaries to bridge East and West. His latest piece, a collaboration with Tiffany & Co., is a celebration of the artist’s Chinese heritage timed to celebrate the Year of the Snake.
Wang has worked with other top fashion brands in the past, such as Fendi and Ferragamo, sharing his unique Eastern perspective with Western creatives. For this collaboration, Tiffany collaborated with Wang on a limited-edition set of Chinese New Year gifts: a ceramic decorative case, jewelry holder, and Wang’s festive wrapping design.
Wang’ shaped the’s ceramic jewelry holder is shaped into a thin, serpentine infinity loop meant to convey a theme of unity and love. The heart-shaped frame consists of negative spaces with two mirrored hearts connected at the bottom — an homage to Tiffany’s Open Heart collection. The smooth finish of the soft turquoise jewelry holder accentuates Tiffany’s iconic design aesthetic.
The Year of the Snake Tiffany and Oscar Wang collaboration also includes an hourglass-shaped ceramic case with the same turquoise finish, adorned with a traditional red knot and tassel. Both pieces are crafted from Blanc de Chine, also known as Dehua porcelain, a type of porcelain from China’s Fujian province that has been well loved by artists since the Ming Dynasty.
The ceramic pieces are accompanied by Wang’s packaging design: a Tiffany bag with a scaled serpentine loop in the shape of the infinity sign, golden handles, and a red pendant with a design similar to the jewelry holder. Gold and red are both colors commonly associated with New Year celebrations in China, representing good fortune, joy, and union.
This collaborative effort combines Tiffany’s classic elegance with Wang’s beautiful and thoughtful representation of Chinese traditions and aesthetics. “I portrayed the sinuous motions of the snake weaving into a sign of infinite love,” Wang said in a press release announcing the collaboration, explaining the thinking behind his designs. “It’s an expression of family, friendship, and new year reunions – love, all together.”
Cover image via Instagram