This May, Crafts on Peel returns to London Craft Week with Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts, an ambitious exhibition that brings historic Chinese craftsmanship into dialogue with contemporary practice. Presented at Royal Society of Sculptors from 11th–17th May 2026, the show unfolds as a tactile, interactive environment where visitors are invited not just to look, but to touch, handle and experience each work.
At its core is collaboration. Over months, master craftspeople from across Greater China have worked alongside a new generation of designers and artisans, reimagining centuries-old techniques — from gold gilding and filigree to bamboo construction, galvanised ironwork and Guangzhou embroidery. The result is a series of works that feel both rooted and forward-looking: objects shaped as much by shared process as by tradition.
As Yama Chan, Founder of Crafts on Peel, puts it:
“At Crafts on Peel, we cultivate a space where mastery is forged through exchanges. We have actively sought out collaborations that challenge our artisans. The resulting works – from the reimagined scholar’s rocks to the kinetic metal installation – are powerful new narratives that transcend regional, generation and cultural borders. My hope is that you see more than just the finished objects – that the shared passion, the intellectual curiosity, and the ambitious spirit of the artisans are palpable within each piece. This ‘creative cross-pollination’ is our promise to the next generation: craft is an exciting path with limitless possibilities.”
One of the exhibition’s most striking moments emerges through Guangzhou embroidery, a practice dating back to the Tang Dynasty. Here, master artisan Wang Xinyuan collaborates with textile designer Elaine Yan Ling Ng, layering intricate hand embroidery onto Ng’s knitted Rêverie textiles. The resulting sculptural forms echo scholar’s rocks — those ancient objects prized for their symbolic connection to nature — but feel reshaped by time, memory and the slow accumulation of craft knowledge.
Elsewhere, gold gilding is reimagined through a dialogue between Anson Lai and the Cheung Lee Wood Carving and Gilding Works Co., whose lineage stretches back generations. Drawing inspiration from Hong Kong’s Forever Blooming Bauhinia monument, they present a series of sculptural flowers that merge traditional techniques with contemporary fabrication, their surfaces shifting between metal, stone and something more ambiguous.
Material transformation continues with goldsmith Huimin Zhang, who pushes the delicate limits of filigree through her collaboration with master engraver Peter Ng. Their joint work, Summer Blooms, weaves together microscopic strands of gold into forms that feel at once fragile and precise, expanding a technique historically reserved for imperial adornment into sculptural territory.
Industrial material finds a new voice in Naam Yu’s kinetic galvanised-iron installation — a junk boat that moves between metaphor and memory, tracing Hong Kong’s transformation from fishing village to global city. Developed in collaboration with master craftsman Michael Yu, the work combines hand skills with digital fabrication, bridging analogue and contemporary production.
The exhibition closes with a quietly playful gesture: a bamboo interpretation of Big Ben by artist Inkgo Lam. Built using techniques traditionally associated with bamboo steamers, the structure becomes a cross-cultural object — part architectural model, part sculptural translation — collapsing London and Hong Kong into a single material language.
Across the exhibition, craft is repositioned not as static heritage but as a living, evolving practice. Techniques are stretched, materials rethought, and histories reworked through collaboration. What emerges is less a display of objects than a set of conversations — between generations, geographies and ways of making — that continue to unfold in the hands of those shaping craft’s future.
Crafts on Peel – Creative Cross-Pollination: The Future of Crafts, 11th-17th May 2026, Royal Society of Sculptors
About the Artisans
WANG XINYUAN- Ju Yuan Xiang Guangzhou Embroidery
Wang Xinyuan is a national intangible cultural heritage bearer of Guangzhou Embroidery and one of China’s first “Great Nation Intangible Cultural Heritage Artisans”. He is dedicatedto innovating and modernising Guangzhou Embroidery, incorporating contemporary themes like the military and animation into his work. He has since won numerous national awards and been featured in collaborations with prestigious institutions such as Rongbaozhai and MGM Macau. Tasked with creating diplomatic gifts, his work was presented to various heads of state, with pieces displayed in the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center.
Elaine Yan Ling Ng- The Fabrick Lab
Artist, designer, material innovator, and technologist Elaine Yan Ling Ng is the founder of
studio The Fabrick Lab, which merges environmentally responsive textiles, electronics, biomimicry, interiors, and installations reacting to light, humidity and movement, offering designs deeply rooted in ecology, emotion and innovation, and pushing the boundary of materials as a storytelling tool. Elaine’s internationally recognised design honours include the Harper’s BAZAAR Visionary Women Award and, most recently, the 2025 Maison&Objet International Women&DesignInnovation Award. Her works have been exhibited at major cultural institutions and fairs, including Art Basel, Design Miami/Basel, the Victoria and Albert Museum(London), and the Triennale Design Museum (Milan).
Cheung Lee – Wood Carving & Gold Gilding
Mr. Wong Cheung, the visionary behind Cheung Lee, first mastered the traditional craft of
gold gilding at Wong Sum Kee, a distinguished Buddha statue workshop. He later founded his own establishment, Cheung Lee, which has now endured for more than 50 years, dedicating its expertise solely to the application of authentic gold leaf onto wooden objects. Today, Cheung Lee is helmed by the founder’s wife, Mrs. Wong, and the second-generation brothers Wong Yin Fat and Wong Yin Bong. Wong Yin Fat trained under his father for over 20 years and has truly mastered the craft. Cheung Lee was entrusted by the Hong Kong Government with a significant honour: regilding the Forever Blooming Bauhinia Sculpture 4 times between 2000 and 2018.
Wong Yin Fat stands as one of Hong Kong’s last traditional gold gilding masters, renowned for his exceptional skills in creating diverse luminous effects – from matte to semi-gloss finishes and gloss finishes – across varied mediums.
Anson Lai- Aurum
Anson Lai holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Liverpool and is the second-generation successor of the family brand “Dragon Mark Gold Leaf”. Established in 1976, the brand continues its operation in the genuine gold leaf business and holds the unique distinction of being Hong Kong’s sole manufacturer and distributor. “Dragon Mark” is the officially designated gold leaf supplier for the Forever Blooming Bauhinia Sculpture. With the launch of his contemporary gold leaf brand, “AURUM”, Anson envisions seamlessly integrating this traditional craft with modernity, redefining its relevance through innovative concepts.
Master Michael Yu – Traditional Craftsman
Master Michael Yu has been in the galvanised iron industry for over forty years, primarily producing air conditioning ducts for a living. In 2010, he began exploring the use of galvanised iron to create unique crafts and daily necessities. In his spare time, he co- organises workshops with different organisations, mainly teaching the making of traditional mailboxes to promote and revitalise the craft of galvanised iron.
Naam Yu- Contemporary Artisan
Naam Yu obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Product Design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2012. In 2020, through the Jockey Club ICH+ program, Naambegan learning galvanised iron crafting from Master Michael Yu, a traditional craftsman with nearly 40 years in the industry. Over subsequent years, Naam worked to revitalise this traditional craft for modern daily life by blending traditional and contemporary fabrication techniques.
In 2024, Naam founded Louud Galvanized Crafts. In Cantonese, “Louud” means “invitation”, representing the call to collectively shape the future. He employs a combination of traditional and modern processing techniques, utilising creative product design and engaging workshops to revitalise galvanised iron within the contemporary social sphere.
Inkgo Lam – Contemporary Bamboo Artist
Inkgo Lam graduated from the department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014. She is an apprentice of the renowned Hong Kong bamboo steamer Master Lui Ming and aspires to create contemporary bamboo crafts with traditional techniques.
In 2019, Inkgo met Master Lui Ming through The Jockey Club ICH+ Innovative Heritage Education Programme. In 2021, Inkgo’s bamboo artworks were exhibited at Art Basel Hong Kong, and in 2022, her works were featured in Hong Kong, Japan, and Canada, including the exhibition “Beyond Borders: Traces of Hong Kong Stories”. Since childhood, Inkgo has admired the perseverance of traditional craftsmen and has been fascinated by the attitude of “focusing on one thing for a lifetime”. She hopes to continue the traditions of heritage crafts in Hong Kong and transform bamboo into the language of art, bringing the aesthetics of ancient Chinese art to the contemporary stage.
Master Peter Ng Hammer and Chisel Engraving Craftsmen
Master Peter Ng started learning chiselling techniques from Master Ng Tin Duk at the age of twelve. After completing his studies, he became a full-time craftsman specialising in engraving. With hard work, enthusiasm and more than half a century of experience, he co-founded the brand Graver HK with his son Jan Ng in 2012. Together, the father-son partnership continues to develop the craft of metal engraving by incorporating chiselling into a variety of contemporary works.
Huimin Zhang – Jeweller & Filigree Craftsman
Huimin Zhang is an artist deeply passionate about collecting antique jewellery, with over 17years of experience amassing a collection of more than a thousand antique metal pieces. This extensive background has fostered her profound interest in traditional craftsmanship. Sixteen years after earning her undergraduate degree in Product Design from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, she pursued further study at the Royal College of Art in London, specialising in Jewellery and Metal Design. Zhang uniquely integrates diverse cultural techniques, such as Chinese filigree and European gold and silver embroidery, to develop an innovative method resembling “gold moss.” She believes that blending multiple crafts is essential for preserving traditional skills. Currently, Zhang focuses on working with 22K gold and has even customised her own wire-drawing tools to efficiently produce ultra-fine0.07mm22K gold threads
