Due to the decorative and delicate nature of the medium, paper cutting is commonly viewed as a feminine skill and traditionally taught to marriageable Chinese girls. Artists Bovey Lee and Swoon are two females whose works elevate a traditional art form to a dynamic, multi-dimensional medium capable of delivering powerful political and socio-economic messages.
Bovey Lee approaches the craft of paper-cutting from a painting and digital imaging background, thus her process includes developing digital templates before cutting the patterns by hand. In most mediums, negative and positive space can play upon a flirtatious tension with each other. But in paper cutting, the added pressure of forming each work with a single sheet results in a relationship that is both visually and practically co-dependent. In Bovey Lee's work, she uses a "wallpaper" of pattern (e.g. a storm of clouds, a chain link fence) that serves as a contextual backdrop upon which she directs scenes filled with un-precious characters such insects, pigeons, jellyfish, and lightning bolts. Yet, the work still manages to exude an elegant and composed demeanor.
Atomic Jellyfish detailMore information at www.boveylee.com
Little Crimes
More information at www.boveylee.com
Little Crimes detail
Little CrimesMore information at www.boveylee.com
Little Crimes detailMore information at www.boveylee.com
Like a street urchin, Swoon scavenges and collects mediums, treating paper cutting like the pushcart that contains all her finds. She began pasting life-sized paper cutouts in 1999, using the same canvases as the city's graffiti artists to leave work simple in form but detailed in the narratives printed on the paper bodies. These works would be left to decay on the street, incorporating yet another vehicle -- time-based art -- to express her concept of the city and the people who inhabit it. Her art has become increasingly three-dimensional and more heavily based in paper cutting until finally evolving into stunning and complete installations. Instead of treating paper like a medium that needs to be handled with care, she chooses to beat it to a pulp.
Installation view, Newton Building Miami Design District, 2005. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Levett
Installation view, Newton Building Miami Design District, 2005. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Levett
Installation view, The Luggage Store in San Francisco, 2008. Photo courtesy of Super Touch Art
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I absolutely love the "little crimes"!!
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