Julie & Jesse is the collaborative practice of designer Julie Progin (CH) and artist Jesse Mc Lin (US). Their experimental and research-based ceramic practice resists categorization, stretching across the fields of design, craft, and art, moving seamlessly between functional objects and pure artistic expression.
In their body of work Julie & Jesse explore the boundaries of porcelain, expanding existing perceptions and expectations tied to the material—stretching its possibilities and working in a state of constant equilibrium, in the liminal space between past and present, tradition and innovation.
Based between Hong Kong and Jingdezhen since 2012, Julie & Jesse operate within a unique crossroads of influences, balancing Eastern and Western traditions while merging heritage with contemporary languages.
An interplay of contrasts emerges in every gesture in Julie & Jesse’s work. They shape porcelain, a material known for its unforgiving nature—demanding precision, allowing little room for error—with a sense of discovery, pushing the limits of balance and structure. It is precisely this continuous redefinition of equilibrium that makes their pieces feel both familiar, rooted in an ancestral knowledge, and entirely unexpected. They are objects never seen before, not only in their aesthetic qualities but also in their technical achievements, which extend beyond conventional limits of ceramic production. An intrinsic tension, as if caught between stillness and motion, echoing broader questions of shifting identities.
From capturing the movement of clay during firing to archiving the break and decay of distressed production moulds, their practice centres on the themes of time, context, and transformation.
Julie & Jesse have exhibited globally, including solo shows at Novalis Art Design and Ilivetomorrow. They have participated in exhibitions and biennales at institutions including the Qingdao Sculpture Museum, the Chicago Design Museum, Musée Magnelli, Design Society, Somerset House, the Yingge Ceramics Museum, and their works has been distinguished at the Cheongju, Gyeonggi, Taiwan, and Vallauris International Biennales as well as the Blanc de Chine International Ceramic Art Award.
Their works are held in the permanent collections of M+, the K11 Art Foundation, and the China Ceramic Museum and the duo has completed commissions for Design Trust, the Palace Museum as well as international fashion house COS.
Julie & Jesse is a creative studio focusing on experimental ceramic investigations that stretch across the fields of design, craft and art. It was founded in Hong Kong and Jingdezhen in 2012 by Swiss designer Julie Progin and American artist Jesse Mc Lin.
The duo manifests research 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 works have been shown at institutions such as M+, Design Society, the Triennale Di Milano & Chicago Design Museum. Their works are held in private and corporate collections as well as public permanent collections at the China Ceramic Museum in Jingdezhen, China, M+, Hong Kong and the K11 Art Foundation. They also work in close collaboration with international design companies such as COS to create unique installations.
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.
