Ji Huang: mixing Chinese lacquer technique with glassmaking

Ji HUANG is an international glass artist whose work explores the changing dynamic between craft and culture through material experimentation. His work employs master techniques while reinventing traditional craft through cultural amalgamation.

Turquoise Xi Pi Glass Jar, blown glass, 2019

Huang was intrigued by a Chinese lacquer technique called Xi Pi (literally 'rhinoceros skin'), and became captivated by the idea of generations of craftspeople accumulating technical knowledge and experience through different materials. His current work focuses on developing a Xi Pi-inspired glassmaking process to achieve a complex surface quality on his work. This process is extremely labour intensive, typically taking three to four weeks from start to finish.

Ji Huang making Xi Pi glass

Ji Huang completed his graduate studies in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art in London. He also studied glass at the University of Washington and has worked at Pilchuck Glass School for the past three summers. Huang recently completed a residency in Murano, creating a collaborative sculpture to be exhibited in Museo del Vetro in Venice.

Image source: Ji Huang