TEAM
Bienvenue! We are Oliver and Wu, a design duo from Zurich, Switzerland. Together we explore the connection between nature and design from the perspective of our different cultures.
Oliver Hischier grew up in Brig in the middle of the Swiss Alps. Xiaoqun Wu, on the other hand, comes from Shanghai, one of the world’ s largest metropolises. While Oliver was surrounded by nature in his childhood, Wu grew up between high-rise buildings and tight spaces. When she moved to Switzerland at the age of 12, she started discovering the beauty of natural landscapes for the first time.
Her paths finally crossed at the F+F School for Art and Design in Zurich. Since then they have been working together and in 2019 they completed their Master in Design at the University of the Arts in Bern. In exchange with Wu, Oliver learned that nature is not equally accessible to everyone – due to the geographical location or a hectic everyday life that hardly allows any breaks. This recognition became their guiding principle: to bring the beauty of nature into people’s lives, to inspire and to raise awareness of it.
Under the name Bienvenue Studios, Wu and Oliver have been exploring the phenomena of nature since 2016 and visualizing them in self-initiated art prints and commission-based works that include both print and online media.
During their worldwide research travels, they draw inspiration from nature and the myths and traditions that arise from it. They look at all these aspects from the point of view of their Western and Asian origins, from which new perspectives constantly emerge. The result is a work full of tension: their analytical approach, which results in a poetic and subtle visual language.
Awards
2023 – Nomination for the Swiss Design Awards
2023 – «The Best 2023» awarded by Hochparterre: Nominated in the Design category with “Into Mountains, Wear your Mirror” scenography for the Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle
2022 – Work deemed «Excellent Work», and selected for the Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2022
2022 – «The Best 2022» awarded by Hochparterre: Nominated in the Design category with “Virtues of Wood”, edition of art prints with wooden frames
2021 – Pro Helvetia Work Grants for Design
2021 – TALENT AWARD 2021 – MBAL Triennial of Contemporary Prints
2021 – Work deemed “Prize Nominee Work”, and selected for the Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2021
2021 – Swiss Print Award, nominated in the “Printed Matters” category
2020 – Design Days 2020, selected exhibitors
Residency
2024
– Design Preis Schweiz: Design Retreat at Sutra House Basel for Circular Design, Innovation and healthy Workflow, Basel, Switzerland
2023
– 7132 Hotels für Silver Gastronomie, Vals, Schweiz
– Ding Studio for a bonsai project, Suzhou, China