The holiday atmosphere is everywhere. At the prestigious
shopping destination Plaza 66, a bamboo shoot "Vogue Wish Tree,"
decorated in traditional red and gold, has been set up next to the
celebrity-spotting Atrium cafe, showcasing a magic combination of
traditional Chinese paper-cut arts and modern global fashion.
The bamboo shoots are considered a symbol of fortune, suggesting
that prosperity will spring as fast as bamboo shoots in the coming
year. The unfolding "leaves" or shoots feature the magnified
paper-cut silhouettes of elegantly dressed modern ladies.
They were created by Wei Yiping, one of the very few paper-cut
masters in China and the only student of paper-cut master Ku
Shulan.
Based on the images provided by Chinese Vogue magazine, Wei
"carved" 10 of the most "in" looks of today's fashion world with
plain red paper. Figures in skinny pants and virtually see-through
tops are set against backgrounds of auspicious plum blossoms,
chrysanthemums, peach blossoms and willows.
The images are magnified and reproduced in gold-colored metal to
form the enormous bamboo shoot installation. The small original
paper works, about four inches by six inches, are displayed at the
site, together with two paper dresses designed by Wei using
scissors and scalpels.
On her first visit to Shanghai, the Shaanxi Province native has
also brought her larger award-winning art piece shown in Germany,
"Long Feng Cheng Xiang" (dragon and phoenix), to wish all the
lovers in the city a sweet and merry New Year. The dragon and
phoenix represent the emperor and empress in ancient China.
In her thirties, the deft craftswoman started to learn paper
cutting at the age of seven from her mother and grandmother, both
renowned folk artists in Xi'an in western China.
Her works have been incorporated into the archives of the
Central Academy of Fine Arts and the National Art Museum of China,
and exhibited in Canada, France, Germany and Australia. Her
extraordinary skills amazed visiting Italian Prime Minister Romano
Prodi last year.
However, Wei says she seldom leaves Xi'an where she works in a
small studio near the Drum Tower day and night.
"I'd like to create as much work as I can when I'm still young
and my eyesight is still good," she explains. "Art has no
boundaries. I feel it's the responsibility of our generation to
introduce China's great folk arts to the world."
The petit woman embodies great ideals in her works, too. She
changed her name the day when she learned about the Iraq War: the
word "yi" represents Iraq and the word "ping" means "peace." She
says: "Culture only thrives under peaceful circumstances."
According to her, the most traditional things can also turn out
to be the most avant garde. That's why she agreed to work with
Vogue magazine, and she is satisfied with the result.
The "wish tree" has also been decorated with all kinds of
holiday gifts from international fashion houses such as Prada,
Celine, Fendi, Lagerfeld and Anna Sui.
The exhibits have been collected under the theme "the art of
giving." A cosmetic brush set has been made especially for the
event by the 145-year-old Shao Zhi Yan Writing Brush Workshop in
Hangzhou. A series of hand-made silver jewelry pieces inspired by
Vogue's classic illustrations, created by local jewelry workshop
PH7, are also on display.
(Shanghai Daily February 16, 2007)
