“The colors of our Uzlo sculptures react with the glass much like watercolor paint responds to water. The orange hue and mahogany leather create a sense of earthy warmth and energy, while the purple gradient and chalk-colored leather exude tranquility, clarity, and lightness. This interplay of brightness and subtlety emulates the juxtaposition of shadow and light in my work with glass.” - Jinya Zhao
Jinya Zhao
Plèi Collaboration with Jinya Zhao
Uzlo Sculpture
The limited-edition Uzlo sculptures play with geometry and contrasting materials. The combination of blown glass and leather off-cuts celebrates two complementary and meticulous crafts.
Plèi Collaboration, chapter III
In this project, leather off-cuts are transformed into original works at the hand of artists and artisans. For this third collaboration, Polène has invited Chinese artist Jinya Zhao to interlace the radiance of glass with the opacity of leather. The Uzlo is a very limited edition of only 150 sculptures, created using artisanal techniques in Jingdezhen, China, and Ubrique, Spain.
Blown glass and leather off-cuts
Driven by a passion for experimenting with glass, Jinya Zhao approached leather off-cuts with the same curiosity, drawing inspiration from this unfamiliar material to fuel her creativity. The artist designed a custom mold to form the blown-glass pieces. Pigmentation and diamond polishing give the pieces their frosted, colorful look. The central sphere, round support plates, and wooden domes are covered with leather off-cuts by Polène’s leather goods artisans. Their meticulous craftsmanship extends to the stitching and painted edges.
The name “Uzlo” is derived from the word “puzzle” in reference to the way it is made up of interlocking geometric shapes. The two editions, Amber Dew and Lavender Dew, celebrate the interaction between shapes, materials, and space. This interplay epitomizes Jinya Zhao’s artistic essence. Their delicate curves convey a heightened sense of balance, and their watercolor-inspired gradients add a poetic quality.
Jinya Zhao, an artist of emotions
Known for her blown glass sculptures, Jinya Zhao takes an especially intuitive approach to her art. The Chinese artist experiments with colors and the contrast between light and dark, all while drawing on the senses. Zhao is a graduate of the China Academy of Art in Hanghzou and the Royal College of Art in London, and her artwork is exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. Her sensitivity, revealed in the Uzlo sculptures, overlaps with the Polène universe.
