The East West Project by Archive Editions and Oscar Wang

EVENT DESCRIPTION

After the recent debut during Design Miami/ Podium x Shanghai, American contemporary artist Daniel Arsham and multi-disciplinary artist Oscar Wang bring the East-West Project to Hong Kong during Art Basel Week.

Formulated as a ‘blueprint’, the thought process behind The East West Project digs deeper beyond outdated constructs of ‘east meets west’, synchronising traditional craftsmanship and contemporary aesthetics into a material output. A playful double entendre, ‘east west’（東西）takes on significance as an over-arching word for a physical object, resulting in a limited-edition series of collectibles that pioneers a new format for cross-cultural collaboration.

The first collectible in the series, the Dōngxī Teapot, will be on view and available for pre-order at BELOWGROUND in Landmark from now through until 31 March. Made from authentic Minguo green clay – a rare material worth its weight in gold – and hand-crafted in Yixing, the historic heartland of this industry, traditional savoir-faire is given further significance through a pattern outlined in silver that decorates the exterior. Presented in a grid-like formation to reference the ‘blueprint’, it embodies a seamless fusion of tradition and innovation.

Conceived with intent and purpose, a futuristic tea house locates the Dōngxī Tea Set in its functional surroundings yet updated for modern day. Behind the façade, the reinterpretation of tradition becomes a visual highlight throughout the space, where rows of bamboo and decorative screens are given a modernist update.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Oscar Wang is a multidisciplinary artist based in Shanghai, who nurtured his artistic interests from being surrounded by creative personalities throughout his formative years. Growing up between China and abroad, he graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design with a degree in interior spatial design.

Daniel Arsham is a New York based artist who straddles the line between fine art, architecture, performance, and film. Daniel Arsham’s uchronic aesthetics revolves around his concept of fictional archaeology. Working in sculpture, architecture, drawing and film, he creates and crystallizes ambiguous in-between spaces or situations, and further stages what he refers to as future relics of the present.

Archive Editions is an artistic platform established by American artist Daniel Arsham to connect artists and creatives with fans in China through the release of limited-edition artwork and collectibles.

Founded in 2019, Open Work Studio is an incubator for original IP creation, spatial design, art curation, video game development and creative collaboration. The studio is home to a team of international storytellers and designers, led by founder and multi-disciplinary artist Oscar Wang.