Stockholm-Based Ceramicist Andrea Tsang’s Work Featured On ‘The Bear’
https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/stockholm-ceramist-andrea-tsang-seen-in-the-bear
Noma wasn’t the only Scandinavian artistic infusion heading into Season 3, as the show takes a decidedly fine dining turn of FX/Hulu’s The Bear. As seen on Carmy’s meticulously set table were ceramics by Stockholm-based artist Andrea Tsang. Alongside plates by famed American ceramicist Jono Pandolfi—a New Jersey-based studio that creates plates, bowls, serving pieces, etc for restaurants across the country— featured is Tsang’s Terra candleholder and Amphora vase.
The Amphora Vase as seen on "The Bear"
Image Credit: FX/Hulu
Food & Wine Magazine columnist Adam Rothbarth commented “When I’m watching The Bear, I feel like a private eye, checking the labels and logos on every apron and shirt and trying to scope the spines of every single cookbook that comes across the screen.” and surely Tsang’s featured work will turn her artistry into globally coveted table-setting pieces.
Image Credit: andeatsang.com
The Stockholm-based ceramic artist has garnered widespread attention for her distinctive, minimalist earthenware and vases. Known for her clean, sculptural aesthetic, Tsang's work often features natural textures and muted tones, evoking a sense of calm and grounding. Her ceramic work—ranging from organically shaped vases to refined on-trend tableware—have become globally popular in both art and design circles (as well as food stylists), celebrated for their timeless elegance and functional artistry.
Her collections, including her AMPHORA series, blends ancient Mediterranean influences with Far Eastern tools and techniques, all interpreted through a distinctly modern lens. The AMPHORA series invites viewers to reflect on the enduring nature of design and how it can persist largely unchanged across millennia. Tsang’s pieces, known for their natural textures and muted tones, evoke a sense of timelessness and tranquility, making them a perfect fit for the show's aesthetic, which emphasizes authenticity and subtle storytelling through its set design.
On The Bear, Tsang’s vases and ceramics serve not only as functional objects but as artful accents that elevate the visual atmosphere of the show. The integration of her designs highlights the growing trend of incorporating artisanal craftsmanship into contemporary television, creating a deeper connection between the characters and their environments. With a focus on sustainability and craftsmanship, Tsang’s work exemplifies the balance between ancient design principles and modern sensibilities, further solidifying her place in both the art world and popular culture.
Andrea Tsang's elegant Mediterranean-inspired ceramic vases.
Tsang, in a brief interview with Vogue Scandinavia, remarked on the shock of being contacted for the curation: “I was watching TV on the sofa at home at 9pm at night and I got a phone call from Chicago,” says Tsang. “I was just wondering who on earth would contact me so late from the US, and I thought it was a scam call.” The woman was hoping to place an order, so Tsang, a bit confused, suggested that she make the request via email instead. It was quite a large quantity of items, and the woman desperately needed to receive them in three weeks. “My eyes scrolled down right to the total quantity she ordered, and I didn't even notice what this order was for,” she says. “Then my boyfriend sitting next to me saw the subject of the email and screamed, ‘It’s for The Bear!’”
The AMPHORA Vase
Image Credit: Andrea Tsang
Vogue Scandinavia notes that Andrea Tsang draws inspiration from her East Asian roots—first studying visual arts as well as ceramics in Hong Kong—and Scandinavian functionalism. The artist crafts each of her pieces with the same care as a chef creating a Michelin-level menu (where Chicago and Copenhagen connect their mutual roots and accolades as highly-awarded creative culinary hotspots—take for example Alinea).
Andrea remarked that she can relate to Jeremy Allen White’s chef-stressed character Carmy. “The show touched me deep down because I can relate to it. How desperate Carmy is to make it work, and the everyday routine in the back kitchen – the preparation, the communication between people, the struggles, the cleaning up,” says Tsang. “These things sound so ordinary, but they are real, and they are also parts of my life when setting up my own studio.”
And for all of her craftsmanship that goes into her work, she still keeps her price points accessible for the ceramics-enthusiast and design collector. The AMPHORA Vase is a modest €227 EUR/$253 USD while the collection that scales up in size and complexity ranges upwards of €1159 EUR/$1294 USD, as they’re more of a collectible piece of art for your home.
Image Credit: FX/Hulu
After seeing her pieces on the show for the first time she said she was excited, touched and that it felt dreamy: “Especially, when uncle Jimmy shouted to Carmy, ‘To stop spending my fucking money. Don’t think I’m not seeing these fancy, new earthenware, fucking hippie plates’. This made me laugh because the show did spend lots of money on the earthenware and plates!” And for those also keen to spend some money on Tsang’s singular pieces, she’s recently released a limited edition of the very AMPHORA vase seen in the show—now available on her website.
