Inspired by the unique Chinese lacquerware artistry, “Bodiless,” the namesake theme of the main exhibition of 2024 Paris Design Week · China Week, also looks to the dissolving and reconstruction of inherent definitions and boundaries. Contemporary Chinese design no longer presented itself as an objectified Orientalist spectacle within traditional Western narratives. Instead, it contemporizes its culture heritage through innovative rendition, conveying timeless design inspiration and aesthetic enjoyment to the world.

The official forum “Bodiless: Chinese Design in Post-Orientalism” invites participant designers and artists of 2024 Paris Design Week · China Week to engage in a dialogue about how to construct one’s own subjectivity and cultural narrative in a post-Orientalist era. Guest speakers and panelists will explore how Chinese design and art can thrive on the essence of ancient cultures while embracing the common language of contemporaneity, transcending the limitations of both traditional and external viewpoints.