Peter Chang was a British visual artist, sculptor and pioneering colourist whose radical jewellery and sculptural objects transformed contemporary jewellery and object-making. Although internationally celebrated for his extraordinary jewellery, Chang saw himself first and foremost as a visual artist. Rooted in sculpture and printmaking, his practice moved freely across disciplines, driven by an insatiable curiosity about colour, form, surface and the possibilities of making.
Born in London and raised in Liverpool, Chang studied at Liverpool College of Art before undertaking postgraduate study in sculpture and printmaking at The Slade School of Fine Art, University College London. His early exploration of relief printmaking, carving and layered colour became the foundation of a distinctive visual language that remained central to his work throughout his career.
Working primarily in synthetic resins and plastics, Chang developed an extraordinary range of techniques including carving, laminating, thermo-forming, inlay and surface abrasion. Drawing inspiration from printmaking, Chinese lacquer-work and sculpture, he transformed industrial materials into richly coloured objects of remarkable complexity. Yet technique was always in service of ideas. His work drew on an expansive range of influences, from mythology, Taoism and Surrealism to camouflage and warning colours in nature, heraldry, industrial design and the overlooked beauty of everyday objects.
Peter possessed a rare ability to see significance where others saw the ordinary. Nothing was wasted. Toothbrush handles offered colours unavailable elsewhere; fragments of razors, brushes, toys and industrial offcuts were collected, treasured and reimagined as part of an ever-expanding visual vocabulary. Humour, wit and visual storytelling run throughout his work, where familiar forms are continually transformed through unexpected associations and playful invention.
In his own words, "Object-making is a non-verbal attempt at balancing the intellect with the intuitive." That philosophy shaped every aspect of his practice. Jewellery, sculpture and functional art were never separate disciplines, but different expressions of a singular artistic vision. His jewellery was conceived not simply as adornment, but as autonomous sculptural form: tactile objects intended to be handled, worn and experienced.
Over the course of his career, Chang received numerous international honours, including the Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts in 1995 for his "lasting significance and daring brilliance" and the Herbert Hofmann Prize in Munich in 2003. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in major public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum; the National Museums of Scotland; and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.
Today, Peter Chang is recognised as one of the most original creative voices of his generation. His work continues to surprise and delight, inviting us to look more closely, think more imaginatively and discover extraordinary possibilities within the everyday.
Illustrated: Peter in his workshop, Glasgow. Image used with kind permission and © of Barbara Santos-Shaw Chang and Sons
