Blooming in Two by Mingxue Wang and Stephie Morawetz
Exhibition
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21 Jun 2025
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22 Jul 2025
Published: 26.06.2025
126.com
Inviting these two young artists to collaborate on an exhibition in Beijing thrilled them both. After discussions, they decided on the theme of flowers and dedicated three months to creating new works. In the end, each produced more than just one series—their boundless creativity, proactive drive, and confident, urgent need for self-expression are unmistakable in their pieces. Their work achieves a certain compatibility between the artistic and commercial, the conceptual and the decorative. For many young creators navigating their professional paths, this exhibition may serve as a valuable case study worth exploring.
中文版 - Chinese version 
Artist list
Stephie Morawetz, Mingxue Wang
At the Munich Crafts Trade Fair this March, I met Austrian artist Stephie Morawetz. Her booth was shared by six young artists from different countries, all graduates of the Jewelry and Gemstone Design program at Idar-Oberstein campus of Trier University of Applied Sciences in Germany. For several years, these artists have traveled from their respective cities ahead of Jewelry Week, bringing their year’s collections and special exhibition-themed pieces to Munich, where they participate in the fair under the collective name Astonish. I was deeply impressed by the passion and talent of the Astonish team, and among them, Stephie’s work struck me as the most unconventional yet captivating. Despite this year’s tight gallery schedule, I decided to invite her to Beijing as soon as possible.
Stephie’s work can hardly be described as exquisite in craftsmanship—clearly not her intended direction. Instead, she adopts a playful, absurdist approach to critique the jewelry industry’s current definition of luxury, prompting viewers to reconsider notions of preciousness, value, and aesthetic standards, while also drawing attention to environmental issues. Her pieces often feature steel flowers, which immediately reminded me of another creator, Mingxue Wang. In July 2020, Mingxue, founder of the personal brand ODDGREEN, held her debut solo exhibition, Flower Room, at Xiǎo Gallery. A graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts’ jewelry program, her entrepreneurial journey during her student years became something of a legend. Over the years, Mingxue and ODDGREEN have continued to thrive, with flowers and natural landscapes remaining central to her visual language.
Inviting these two young artists to collaborate on an exhibition in Beijing thrilled them both. After discussions, they decided on the theme of flowers and dedicated three months to creating new works. In the end, each produced more than just one series—their boundless creativity, proactive drive, and confident, urgent need for self-expression are unmistakable in their pieces. Their work achieves a certain compatibility between the artistic and commercial, the conceptual and the decorative. For many young creators navigating their professional paths, this exhibition may serve as a valuable case study worth exploring.
/ Xiao Liang.
Opening hours: 22.06. – 06.07.2025, 13.00 - 18.00 h.
Stephie’s work can hardly be described as exquisite in craftsmanship—clearly not her intended direction. Instead, she adopts a playful, absurdist approach to critique the jewelry industry’s current definition of luxury, prompting viewers to reconsider notions of preciousness, value, and aesthetic standards, while also drawing attention to environmental issues. Her pieces often feature steel flowers, which immediately reminded me of another creator, Mingxue Wang. In July 2020, Mingxue, founder of the personal brand ODDGREEN, held her debut solo exhibition, Flower Room, at Xiǎo Gallery. A graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts’ jewelry program, her entrepreneurial journey during her student years became something of a legend. Over the years, Mingxue and ODDGREEN have continued to thrive, with flowers and natural landscapes remaining central to her visual language.
Inviting these two young artists to collaborate on an exhibition in Beijing thrilled them both. After discussions, they decided on the theme of flowers and dedicated three months to creating new works. In the end, each produced more than just one series—their boundless creativity, proactive drive, and confident, urgent need for self-expression are unmistakable in their pieces. Their work achieves a certain compatibility between the artistic and commercial, the conceptual and the decorative. For many young creators navigating their professional paths, this exhibition may serve as a valuable case study worth exploring.
/ Xiao Liang.
Opening hours: 22.06. – 06.07.2025, 13.00 - 18.00 h.
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