Julie & Jesse

Julie & Jesse is a collaborative art and design studio founded in 2012 in Hong Kong and Jingdezhen by designer Julie Progin (CH) and artist Jesse Mc Lin (US). Their experimental and research-based practice resists categorization, stretching across the fields of design, craft, and art, moving seamlessly between functional objects and pure artistic expression.

The duo’s work manifests exploration into materials and bridges conceptual and emotional narratives with meticulous making technique.

Their projects draw inspiration from a wide range of cultural, historic, and economic topics, expanding existing perceptions and expectations of porcelain. From capturing the movement of clay during firing to archiving the break and decay of distressed production moulds, their creative practice centres on the themes of time, context and transformation.

Julie & Jesse’s approach towards ceramics is inspirational, unusual and sometimes speculative. For Art Basel Hong Kong and Switzerland 2018, the duo was commissioned by COS to create an original installation to instigate conversations about heritage, transformation and renewal in art and design.

Their work has since been exhibited at Art Central, Art Busan, Somerset House, the Qingdao Sculpture Museum and their series Fragment(s) is now part of the M+ museum collection and currently on display in the institution’s Making it Matters ongoing exhibition.

Julie & Jesse have exhibited globally, including solo shows at Novalis Art Design and Ilivetomorrow. They have participated in many group exhibitions and biennales including with the Chicago Design Museum, Musée Magnelli, Design Society, the Yingge Ceramics Museum and their works distinguished at the prestigious Cheongju International Craft Biennale as well as the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale. Commissions include projects for the Palace Museum of Hong Kong, Design Trust and international fashion brand COS. Their works are in the permanent collections of M+, the K11 Art Foundation, and the China Ceramic Museum.

Julie Progin holds a BFA in Product Design from Parsons, the New School for Design and a BFA in Textile Design from École Duperré. Jesse Mc Lin holds an MFA in Ceramic Sculpture from NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University and a BFA in Print and Ceramics from Kansas City Art Institute.