A jewelry collection titled Elegant Song Incense has captivated collectors worldwide across ART021 Hong Kong & Shanghai and Shanghai West Bund Art Fair's "One Pearl, Three Exhibitions" this year. The groundbreaking fusion of agarwood with traditional gemstones manifests in twelve pieces that capture fleeting floral silhouettes, refracting the refined elegance inherited from the Song Dynasty. As a microcosm, Elegant Song Incense reveals how traditional Eastern aesthetics subtly influence young contemporary artists. Oui Art spotlights the creator behind this series: Wei Yang, a post-90s jewelry artist.
Eastern Craftsmanship: Unlocking the Song Aesthetic
Wei Yang, a China Academy of Art graduate, roots his practice in institutional art training, with Eastern aesthetics as his core inspiration, yielding works of archaic sophistication.
His twelve-piece Elegant Song Incense series—Graceful Orchid, Delicate Snow Blossoms, Jade Rain of Immortal Isles, Summer Peony, Pomegranate Moon, Crimson Lotus Whispers, Emerald Crabapple, Purple Glory Hall, Autumn Everlasting, Orchid Fields, Pure Camellia, and Moonlit Waves—intertwines Song-era elegance with China's traditional "Twelve Floral Months," embedding seasonal transitions into the daily rituals of incense appreciation and flower viewing.
Pushing material and sensory boundaries, Wei proposes a "Five-Sense Jewelry" concept. By centering agarwood and complementing it with gemstone inlays, he imbues each piece with traceable fragrance, liberating jewelry beauty from visual-tactile constraints and resurrecting it through olfaction.
Dialogue with Wei Yang: Reimagining Aesthetics
Your works exude Song Dynasty influences. Did jewelry as a medium or Eastern aesthetics come first?
Eastern aesthetics unquestionably came first. Having lived long in Hangzhou—the Southern Song capital—I’m steeped in its cultural legacy. Chinese aesthetics peaked during the Song Dynasty. Their nuanced appreciation of tea, flowers, and incense deeply moves me.I chose agarwood to olfactorily convey Eastern beauty, paying homage to floral and incense arts. After creating the series’ inaugural bloom, I envisioned the twelve floral deities representing birth months, culminating in the Twelve Floral Months collection.
What was your academic focus? Why jewelry?
I studied animation at CAA but gravitated toward handicrafts, beginning with silverwork before transitioning to fine jewelry. While conventional "Chinese-style" jewelry extends heritage techniques like cloisonné or kingfisher feather art, my "neo-Chinese" approach isn’t about pastiche—it’s innovative evolution rooted in beauty’s ultimate expression.
Song elegance shaped Chinese culture profoundly, embodying visual subtlety and spiritual serenity. What’s your deepest resonance with it?
Detachment. Only by mentally releasing external attachmentscan one withstand life’s turbulence and reach a pure "utopia." Paradoxically, when I truly let go, everything converges. For example,I reserve my final day in Beijing for the Forbidden City,aimlessly strolling its central axis. From this ritual emerged my Central Axis ring series, inspired by five pavilions along the route.
Are you the first to use agarwood in fine jewelry?
I’m not the pioneer of wooden jewelry, but I am the first to adopt agarwood. A Western century-old brand once carved a rose from rosewood, but it lacked petal-like softness. Under magnification,agarwood’s texture resembles pores—I can almost see petals "breathing," revealing its artistry.
This aligns with your "Five-Sense Jewelry." Shanghainese gardenias’ scent fades—does agarwood’s?
Currently, I’ve achieved three senses: sight, touch, and smell. When I proposed this, no one else was doing it—it’s like the jewelry industry’s "industrial revolution." Like gardenias, my work channels ritualistic essence. Agarwood’s fragrance is eternal; I aim to showcase jewelry’s aromatic vitality. Future expansions to four or five senses will still feature agarwood as a signature element.
Any technical challenges with agarwood?
My first floral piece took 6–8 months. Carving rigid wood into supple petals demanded relentless polishing—three days per petal, with only one of five making the final cut. Sculpting remains the toughest hurdle.
Is agarwood as collectible as gemstones?
True treasures must be durable, beautiful, and unique—agarwood qualifies. That said, all fine jewelry requires delicate care.
Five years ago, you were the "Coin Prince." What prompted the shift to fine jewelry?
Coins carry Western ethos, but I fused them with Eastern motifs, creating stylistic tension that gained visibility. Materials are just vessels—my unwavering pursuit of beauty naturally led me toward higher artistry.
How did collectors respond at this year’s exhibitions?
They were intrigued by the material novelty, then moved by the "wooden blossoms’" vitality.At West Bund, a foreign collector asked about the agarwood. His fascination affirmed agarwood’s cultural weight—I felt national pride, translating Eastern heritage into wearable art.
Who’s your ideal collector?
Those with scholar-official refinement—a temperament transcending materialism, cultivated by arts and culture.
Does contemporary art influence you?
Yes. Contemporary art’s freedom—unbound by medium or form—allows pure philosophical expression. If a piece lacks soulful resonance, it’s merely a "contemporary creation," not art.Jewelry shares this standard.
With masters like Wallace Chan’s Cicada Molt or Cindy Chao’s Butterfly Lovers setting benchmarks, what’s your goal?
I may not rival them, but diversity matters. Take "flowers"—some depict nature’s blooms, others cinematic ones; mine derive from Song paintings. Cindy’s evolving annual butterflies remind me to keep elevating my craft.
Tell us about your Jadeite Fan.
A Shaanxi paper-cutting inheritor advised me:"Be like water—don’t stress detours; flow naturally, and you’ll find your path."The fan’s scroll patterns, seen in the Forbidden City, symbolize eternal continuity. Art and heritage, like water, must flow unbroken.
As both artist and Y·LONGING JEWELRY co-founder, how do you balance the roles?
Artists enjoy more freedom, but brands require strategic planning. Both demand cohesive styles—they’re complementary, not conflicting.
