qīqíqǐqì
ABOUT
In 2024, Miao Tan and Siying Cui founded qīqíqǐqì in London, a name built from the four tones of “qi” in Pinyin, represented by four Chinese characters:
This name reflects their attitude: to liberate natural lacquer from fixed symbols and categories, allowing it to become a method, a relation, and a way of thinking.
漆 (lacquer)
奇 (wonder)
岂 (far more than)
器 (artefacts)
qīqíqǐqì consists of a Studio and a Brand: the Studio focuses on material and conceptual exploration, while the Brand extends these experimental ideas into everyday life, reconstructing the relationship between people and objects through touch.
ARTISTS
Miao Tan ARWS
(b. 1998, China)
Miao focuses on material research and product development, combining traditional lacquer techniques with contemporary forms and functions. With a background in fine art and sculpture, they bring sensitivity to texture, proportion, and structure into each design.
Educated in both China and the UK, Miao holds a BA in Oil Painting from Minzu University of China and an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art. They are an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society (ARWS) and recipient of the 2023 New Graduate Award.
Miao is based in London, continuing to expand lacquer’s expressive possibilities across functional design and artistic practice.
Siying Cui
(b. 1996, China)
Siying oversees the brand’s visual direction, presentation, and spatial design, shaping how each object communicates its material and sensory qualities. Their practice bridges design and art through clear visual systems with an intuitive sense of tactility.
Siying holds a BA in Environmental Design from Beijing University of Technology, and an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art.
With experience in branding, publishing, and exhibition design, Siying builds qīqíqǐqì’s identity through cohesive visual storytelling and material expression.