For their 5th participation at London Craft Week, the Hong Kong-based charitable organisation Crafts on Peel has brought together five fascinating craftspeople who are taking Chinese traditional techniques and reworking them with a modernist spin.
Entitled Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts, the presentation at the Royal Society of Sculptors features extraordinary works in gold leaf, embroidery, filigree, galvanised iron, and bamboo. All of the works are intended to be touched and handled, allowing for an immersive, tactile experience in the appreciation of materials and techniques, while also recognising their functional purposes.
Keeping to the London theme, Inkgo Lam has constructed a beautiful set of bamboo dim sum steamers in the shape of the Big Ben tower. Meanwhile, Huimin Zhang has redefined the limits of gold filigree in her intricately woven blossoms using metal threads as thin as 0.08mm.
The exhibition also has a focus on masters and their disciples. Naam Yu and Master Michael Yu worked together on a Hong Kong junk boat made of galvanised iron, incorporating old working methods and modern laser-cutting technology. The same surface designs have also been incorporated into a series of lamp shades, paying homage to Hong Kong’s market aesthetic.
The heirs of two of Hong Kong’s renowned gold-gilding families have also joined forces here. Anson Lai collaborated with Cheung Lee Wood Carving & Gold Gilding to produce a set of five Bauhinia flowers in wood, ceramic, and with 3D-printing, which will be embellished throughout the duration of the show with gold leaf. Visitors will also have a chance to try their hand at gilding.
Finally, Elaine Yan Ling Ng and Master Wang Xinyuan reinterpreted Guangzhou Embroidery – part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage – in their textile-sculpture installation inspired by Scholar’s Rocks (供石, gongshi). Using Elaine’s knitted Rêverie textiles as a base, Master Wang has hand-embroidered colourful forms on top. Visitors should also pick up a UV-light torch to uncover the hidden motifs all over the sculpture.
This free experience is an impressive addition to the London Craft Week programme, bringing traditional and contemporary Chinese craftsmanship to Western audiences in an educational and fun way.
Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts (11 – 17 May 2026) is at the Royal Society of Sculptors, London, https://www.craftsonpeel.com/
Nigel Ip 
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