Miao Yang – an artist based in Beijing, China, rose from the ashes of the year 2020 on stage thanks to her immaculate pieces and one-of-a-kind techniques, a mixture of drawings and crafts, which immediately caught the eye of the Cluster’s team. This “artistic melting pot defined by the sole necessity to express and provoke” resonated with the curatorial vision of going back to the roots – “Ars Gratia Artis”. The pure creative energy, unmitigated and unapologetic, the celebration of diversity and style that she embodied was what we wanted to be presented at the 2021 Cluster Jewellery Fair, which made its return to the physical realm in an intimate, exquisite and delicate way in the heart of London.

What were your first influences to be creative and become an artist and what has drawn you to contemporary jewellery? 

I guess that I began to learn painting from a very young age is the first influence. Later, I was attracted by contemporary jewellery works, so I became very interested in this form of creation. Then, I started into The Glasgow School of Art study Jewellery major.

What do you think defines “contemporary” jewellery?

A response to human civilisation.

You’ve gained recognition by becoming part of the Cluster family with your series of works based on "Plum Blossom Shadow". What’s next for you? What other Chinese elements of the visual and material culture do you plan to incorporate in your future artworks?

Lotus will be the main element in my next creation. I am working on this new painting creation. Lotus as one of the small elements designed in my “plum blossom shadow” series jewellery. I got this inspiration and desire of creating from that series, so you can see this new idea is explored from “plum blossom shadow”.

You incorporate two different disciplines when creating your artworks. Not a lot of designers blend drawings with jewellery. Can you tell us more about this practice? What’s the inspiration behind this decision and what are the techniques you use?

Of course! Painting or jewellery is a medium of creation. I personally think that the creation of this behaviour includes at least the artist's personal experience and thinking about the world, and these are not only limited to the form of jewellery or painting. For the technique in this series works, I mainly use filigree craftsmanship in this series of jewellery works. In my paintings I finished by watercolour and pencil.