Resident from August 25, 2026, until November 30, 2026
Zhipeng Wang (1996, Anhui, China) is a contemporary designer of jewellery who lives and works both in China and Europe. Materials like tea, jade and pearls are not just resources to him, but they tell a story, bring memories and show cultural values. In his jewellery, Wang researches what we decide is valuable and how the significance and worth of material changes when it is put in a different cultural context. He has used, for example, Chinese tea and German coffee in previous works to think about identity and cultural exchange.
During his residence at DIVA museum, Wang studies how different cultures assign worth to valuable materials. He wants to bring Chinese materials, such as jade and pearls, in dialogue with diamonds and other materials from the European jewellery tradition. The collection and historical context of DIVA museum are his inspiration for new jewellery pieces where existing ideas of value, worth and cultural meaning are put into question.
He studied Jewellery Art and Design at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where he received his Bachelor's degree in 2019. He then went to Germany to study with jewellery designer Karen Pontoppidan at the Akademie der Bildenden Künsten, München, from 2020 until 2024.
Zhipeng Wang has received several international awards. In 2021 he was laureate of the Preziosa Young Competition in Firenze, afterwards in 2024 he won the grand prise of the BKV-Preis für Junges Kunsthandwerk in München and the first prise of the Giancarlo Montebello Award in Milan. In 2026 he received the prestigious Herbert Hofmann Preis during SCHMUCK in München for his work Stone Gambling, which is a brooch in jade and gold.
