Chino is currently working on her new projects. You are welcome to make an appointment on the Contact page to visit her studio and see her work.
EXHIBITIONS & PROFESSIONAL EXPOSURE
2022 London Design Festival: Park Royal Design District.
2022 Group Show - Autumn: Park Royal Gallery.
2022 Tapestry Project: Selvedge Magazine (pending).
2022 Group Show - Spring: Park Royal Gallery.
2021 Conceptual Art Popup: VICKISARGE, London.
2021 London Design Festival: Park Royal Design District.
2018 Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council Competition: The Goldsmiths' Company, London.
2017 Walter Van Beirendonck FW 2017.
2016 Shine, The Goldsmiths' Centre, London.
2013 Walter Van Beirendonck FW 2013/14.
2011 Jil Sander SS 2012.
2011 Royal Wedding.
2009 Phillips de Pury & Company: Saturday@Phillips.
2008 Pollini FW 2008/09.
AWARDS
2018 Finalist - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust.
2018 Silver Award - Enamellers 3D Finishes Pieces - Design, Goldsmith's Craft & Design Council Awards.
RESIDENCIES
2017 - 2021 Gold Membership, The Goldsmith's Centre, London.
2016 Setting out program bursary, The Goldsmith's Centre, London.
2011 Artist in Residence, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.
BIOGRAPHY
Chino Ridge was born in Yokohama, Japan, and currently lives in London. Growing up, Chino was exposed to her grandfather's Japanese-style painting and traditional Oshie making, as well as her mother's clay artistry. These experiences inspired her to pursue applied fine arts at Yokohama College of Art in 1992 where she discovered Vitreous enamel, which was later to become her signature material. She traveled to Limoges, France to further her research, then entered the world of fashion accessory design in Tokyo.
In 2002, Chino entered The Camberwell College of Arts, London to study silversmithing and metalwork. In her second year, she took a full-time job as a costume jewelry designer for Erickson Beamon and built a successful career as a senior costume jewelry designer, collaborating with high-end fashion houses, and having her jewelry showcased by celebrities and magazines. During this hiatus, Chino postponed her initial ambition in art, but the commercial experience gave her an opportunity to find her identity as an artist. Chino's artistic philosophy was transformed from decorative craft into conceptual art. Accumulating many skills along the way, Chino now employs unique combinations of materials and subjects in her work.
In 2016, Chino applied to the Setting Out program at The Goldsmiths' Centre, where she was provided with silversmithing facilities and further expertise, allowing her to realize her long-held ideas for sculptures. In 2021, Chino relocated her studio to the Park Royal District, where a diversity of practitioners have their bases.
In April of 2021, Chino lost her mother to cancer. While sorting through her mother's studio, she discovered a vast amount of vintage silk kimono swatches, which she brought back to London as a memento. Two weeks later, Chino had two accidents that temporarily immobilized her. These circumstances led her to explore her ancestry and the history of the kimono swatches, as well as adding appliqué to her repertoire. During this time, Chino produced a body of tapestry artworks and began experimenting with NFTs as a way to archive the kimono swatches.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Chino is a multidisciplinary artist who creates concept-driven art. Her love for studying history often informs important aspects of her work, helping her to decode the present and ponder the future.
Having been exposed to the commercial design and traditional craft worlds for years, she has had the opportunity to work on various projects that have allowed her to realize her artistic vision and break free from being pigeonholed as a person and as a creative. Chino's passion for playing with traditional silversmithing techniques and vitreous enamel to create conceptual sculptures and installations remains her signature, though her recent discovery of heirloom vintage silk kimono swatches has opened up new avenues in her repertoire.
Chino's work is guided by her desire to explore primary themes of culture, history, and value. She strives to create pieces that challenge traditional notions of beauty and function, hoping to spark discussions about the complex relationships between craft, culture, and our perceptions of value, and to engage audiences with thought-provoking works.