Paper Universe

Over the years, Fenwan has digitized more than 1,300 hand-cut paper patterns, transforming them into vector graphics and compiling them into a pattern library named “Paper Universe.” The name of this library has also become the theme of the exhibition, which builds a multidimensional paper cutting world through two-dimensional paper cut graphics. It seeks to weave the “small” universe within the flat surface into a more three-dimensional “big” universe, showcasing Fenwan’s creations from 2012 to 2024 from various perspectives. As a “top paper-cutting artist born in the 1990s,” Fenwan embodies both tradition and innovation. She draws nourishment from traditional paper cutting and folk culture, while breaking conventions to shape a distinctive style and a vibrant developmental path through her unique artistic expression. The two-dimensional paper cutting creatures she creates continually grow and spread into multidimensional spaces. Her works have ventured beyond the studio and galleries, reaching cities, villages, communities, parks, and the broader landscapes, engaging in lively dialogues with the larger world and more people.

In the exhibition, visitors will witness how Fenwan seeks out the color pink in her creations, how she initiates her work on paper, and explores the application of paper cutting within three-dimensional installations. Her understanding of “discarding and retaining” within positive and negative spaces, as well as the process of transforming the emotions gleaned from her personal growth into a romantic collective resonance, will also be revealed. Her reflections on the symmetrical relationships in life, her pursuit of infinite creativity, her insights into everyday details, and her practice of capturing inspiration collectively construct her distinctive artistic world.

As Fenwan says: “Pink is the color of courage, and paper-cutting is the labor of Joy.” As audiences wander through her “Paper Universe,” they will effortlessly be enveloped by her unique aura. Their mood will soar alongside this ever-evolving story of exploration, creation, and discovery, taking flight towards a broader and more joyful universe.

The theme of “Paper Universe” originates from the name of the pattern library created by Chen Fenwan. Over the years, she digitized over 1,300 hand-cut, paper-cut patterns and made them into vector graphics, collected and organized them into the pattern library, and named it “Paper Universe”.

The exhibition will showcase over 150 works, including installations, videos, handmade books, and paper cutting on walls, presenting Chen Fenwan’s creations from 2012 to 2024 from multiple perspectives, including how she found “pink” in her creations, how she started her paper-based creations, how she explored the application of paper cutting in three-dimensional installations, and how she transformed her personal emotions into romantic collective resonance.