“Lacquer begins where the surface ends.”
In 2024, Miao Tan and Siying Cui founded qīqíqǐqì Studio in London, a name built from the four tones of ( qi ) pronounced ( ch’i ) (漆) in Chinese Pinyin, represented by four Chinese characters:
qī
qí
qǐ
qì
漆
奇
岂
器
Lacquer
wonder
goes far beyond
the objects themselves
大漆
之奇
岂止
器物
This name reflects our attitude. Natural lacquer is not confined to fixed symbols, established categories, or the surface of an object. It flows, resists, responds, and transforms. For us, lacquer is not only a material, but a method, a relation, and a way of thinking.
qīqíqǐqì Studio is a platform for research and creation. By allowing natural lacquer to participate in the structural formation of a work, we explore how materials behave, respond, and guide the making process. Across material experiments, publications, and exhibitions, we question established aesthetic norms, material hierarchies, and conventional understandings of craft, opening up new ways of perceiving and narrating.
Alongside our research and artistic practice, we have developed qiqi:qiqi, a brand that brings these experimental ideas into everyday life through lacquer objects. Each piece offers a distinct tactile experience and way of interacting. Some are designed for everyday use, while others disrupt established functions, reimagining how people perceive, touch, and engage with objects.
MEET THE TEAM
Miao Tan
Co-founder
Artist
Miao leads the creation of artistic works, material experimentation, and critical writing, combining traditional lacquer techniques with contemporary artistic practice, guided by process-led methodologies and a sustained inquiry into how material behaviour shapes form.
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. Miao is an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society (ARWS) and the recipient of the 2023 New Graduate Award.
Miao is based in London, continuing to expand lacquer's expressive possibilities through artistic practice and material research.
Siying Cui
Co-founder
Visual Director
Siying develops the visual language and communication systems of the studio. Working across branding, publishing, photography, and digital platforms, she translates the studio's material research into forms that can be seen, understood, and experienced by wider audiences.
Siying holds an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art and a BA Environmental Design from Beijing University of Technology.
qīqíqǐqì Studio welcome conversations with artists, designers, researchers, and institutions in collaboration.
For inquiries, please contact:
CONTACT
