Mingze Zhang

According to the transcendentalists, God is in the rain. I, too, strongly agree with the point. To me, the miracle is omnipresent: it is hidden in a fragile and fragrant flower; in the eyes of an innocent child; in every single creation of nature. And as for us human beings in this world, we originated from nature, we depend on nature, we are the absolute part of nature. But people always forget about this fact, alienating themselves from Mother Nature, seeking aesthetic standards in those artificial commodities which are the outcome of a mechanised lifestyle resulting from the Industrial Revolution. People can easily get lost in the world of virtual networks provided by electronic products and even destroy nature in reverse. The reason why I take the contemporary art of jewellery as my life goal lies exactly in the wish to exhibit the destructive power of human beings, of reminding them that the delicacy and fragility of nature deserves to be cherished; that the pure undressed beauty of nature cannot be surpassed by any artificial products. I would like to realise all my theories through the form of jewelleries in which different materials (natural or artificial) can mix and talk, for it is born to bear the weight of human emotions. It is, no doubt, the perfect artistic approach for me.

The faith and the sense of mission I have mentioned above dates back to my childhood. When the city rivers were still limpid and clear, the city air was still fresh and unpolluted, the people still led a life of being easily-satisfied, I began to fall in love with the world, by constantly drawing the people, the natural landscapes of land and sea. Painting helped me to perceive the world, making me a happy, optimistic young lad. Even though the waters were polluted afterwards, vehicle exhaust and industrial waste gas floated all over the city, the forests turned into deserts, people became eager for quick success and instant benefits, my optimism maintains. I still believe that natural beauty can be heart-wrenching. Through my jewellery, I make voices which may be feeble but firm: I strive to made my work 'rose & pin' to reach the acme of being delicate, hoping to arouse the subtle resonance of something similar to pity, by watching the symbol of pure beauty being pierced by the symbol of painful destruction. Flowers are also like children, who live in the modern environment of commodity-driven economic society. Their pure innocence could be easily impacted by all the artificial cliché. Thus, step by step, these issues aroused my interests in investigating social phenomena. I made surveys about autistic children, about how they got injured, about their love and fear. With the deepening of the surveys for my work, I even investigated the natural mystical power that people revere, combining this with the theme called 'amulet', supported by conventional Chinese culture. By teasing out the amulet history of ups and downs, I recognised the influence towards social level and made some creative try-outs using traditional Chinese elements.

You may have drawn the conclusion that being sensitive and exquisite are my traits of character. Discussing the relationship between people, society and Mother Nature is my favourite theme in artistic jewellery works. I admire a delicate and concise work style. Taking details of everyday life as the entry point is my habit for now. Living 'elsewhere' is the perfect way to enlighten me for even more passion and the perfect way to accumulate humanistic attainments. To be with the most brilliant professors and artists, to discuss with classmates from different cultures are my current needs. And, to be a member of your school, is one big step towards a mature jewellery artist. To influence the characteristics of this time is my lifelong pursuit after all, just as Thoreau wrote in Walden, that is the most advanced purpose of art.