THE NINE DRAGON FIRE FURNACE

Current Obsession: We are very excited to have you as one of the first artists featured in the Current Obsession Store. The piece that you designed specifically for us is originating from the final work you developed as part of the CO’s GEMZ Talent Development Programme back in the 2021. Could you tell us a bit about this piece and about the process?

Hansel Tai: The piece is a derivative from the GEMZ’s first cycle of the programme and particularly it’s a re-make of a bigger piece that’s called The Nine Dragon Fire Furnace. It’s inspired by Chinese mythology and this mythological deity that’s called Nezha, The Third Lotus Prince who fights dragons in search of a new body. The piece is actually inspired by one of The Third Lotus Prince’s magical weapons which can produce fire and burn through hell and heaven. The shape of the piece is inspired by the form of a dragon.  

The original piece was 3D modeled and 3D printed in stainless steel. I cleaned and chromed the piece, so it ended up having this thick diamond blue chrome layer on top.  But the original piece was too big for daily wearing, of course, and I wanted to do something much more wearable for the CO Store, but still quite dramatic, so I still kept the size as big as possible. They will be available in two colours: silver with rhodium plating and another version in a black diamond glossy colour. 

CO: And except for this piece for CO web shop, what are you working on right now? You said that there have been some major changes in your professional life? Do you want to talk more about the change, growth and expansion of your practice? 

HT: I have just started working for myself exclusively. At first, I was also working on commissions, for example for Tanel Veenre Jewellery which I have been doing ever since I graduated the school for almost six years. It was great! I loved working for him because I got so much freedom to work the way I wanted as long as I delivered the pieces on time. But obviously, all the hours you are working for other people, are the hours that you aren’t working for yourself.  So, at the beginning of this year, I decided that I want to completely focus on working for myself and developing my practice, which is a luxury because I actually can. I have already enough exhibitions coming up, my brand is growing quite steadily, so I thought ‘okay, let’s do it!’ 

It was a big change because it’s a bit overwhelming to begin with since you suddenly wake up in the morning and you have so many things to do. Everything feels important! Every art project is sort of your baby, and I have parallel so many going on right now! 

CO: Going back to your materials, which are perhaps the most fascinating aspect of your work and often unknown to others: you source everything from precious woods of Southeast Asia to Baroque pearls and unique jades, and you clearly understand each step of the process. Could you explain how you discover and choose these materials? You once said that when you see a material that intrigues you, you feel compelled to manipulate it and make it better than anyone else. How does that initial impulse lead you to source? 

HT: Usually, it happens organically. I believe every material I use has a relationship with me from the beginning. Initially, I worked extensively with plexiglass, acrylics and 3D-printed plastic—materials connected to my childhood, factory environment or toys that were nearly always plastic. At first, jewellery felt very much like an intricate toy to me, and that was my original passion: making my own ‘toys.’ 

My early bachelor projects all featured lights and numerous components; they were elaborate and required intensive work, much like solving a puzzle. Later, I chose to work with jade, inspired by Asia’s significant jade culture and an internship with a master jade carver Master Gao (Songfeng Gao) where I learned essential techniques. After approximately five years, I began producing my jade pieces, despite my initial apprehension due to the material’s potent cultural impact. 

Later during the pandemic, I became fascinated by pearls after watching live streams of oysters being opened; I became addicted to buying them. I also noticed cultural parallels between blind jade auctions and blind pearl-opening events: both involve a form of legal gambling, especially in China, where gambling is only legal in Macau. This sense of chance was very interesting to me, and I still have plans to participate in blind oysters opening live for some future art projects. One might discover many pearls or none at all, and I really fascinated by this process. In my work, I always use both the pearls and their shells. 

Each material—jade, pearl and shell—exists in its own category of jewellery, with an aesthetic distinct from metal-based work. This has always fascinated me, so I continue to explore them. This year, I have created new shell pieces and new jade works, which differ from my earlier practice. My work is gradually moving in a new direction. 

CO: That’s wonderful, because with each design your artistic language is still so present, however, the materials always tell a different story. You have this sensitivity for selecting materials and highlighting what is really special about them. But you are also quite inspired by the cyber world, aren’t you? Does everything you create begin and end in the online realm? 

HT: I feel that as I have grown older, I am more attuned to the materials themselves. Recently, I have been doing a lot of horn carving for the upcoming exhibition, alongside stone carving and drilling pearls. Each stone and pearl are so different that you must decide precisely how to treat each one; it is difficult to replicate. Even when piercing them, you must evaluate the entire piece individually each time to determine the best approach. So honestly, I haven’t been thinking about the cyber world that much lately. My new work focuses more on politics and the human condition. 

CO: Could you talk a little bit about it?  

HT: I am currently working towards the duo exhibition Dance of Resistance with me and Liisa Chrislin Saleh. Lisa, who is half Yemeni from her father’s side and half Estonian from her mother’s side moved to Tallinn when she was about six years old and she’s very much influenced by both cultures. The Yemeni culture is very conservative, even compared to Chinese culture, and there is lack of balance between male and female. There are very little women’s rights and Liisa is, of course, really critical about it. But at the same time, both of us, we truly love the culture embedded in our roots, so in this show we’re talking about traditions and how we navigate them. While she is focusing more on video and the performative part of the traditional Yemeni Baraá dance, I’m personally carving a lot of Chinese letters and characters on sea shells and horns. I have never made anything with Chinese typography before because, I don’t know, it’s a bit cringe for me.  

About some things, especially related to my own culture, I feel this strange cringe feeling and embarrassment when talking about it. Especially if the symbols are too literal and direct. So, I kind of always avoid using too direct symbolism in my work, for example letters and slogans. This time however, I’m kind of going for the exact opposite. A lot of the pieces have literal Chinese characters symbolising liberty, freedom, and equality, carved on a very precious or very feminine materials.  

Somehow, I’m trying to face my, I don’t want to say fears, but maybe discomfort or confront myself more directly with this deliberately blocked part of me and my Chinese identity. I feel like we live in crazy times and with everything happening right now, I think it’s the perfect time to do so. I feel like it is the right way to do it.