Tweaking traditional crafts

The paper is made from a tree called gou shu.

Wang witnessed the making of the paper - from the cutting of the tree to the grinding and draining.

"You can see a lot of natural fiber in there," she says. "And because the paper is handmade, each sheet has a different thickness and color - some darker, some lighter, like the clouds in the sky. No two clouds are the same."

Besides Juju Wang's installations, the exhibition called Jiangnan Baigong (A hundred Handicrafts of the Yangtze River Delta) also features more than 40 artworks by seven artists and artists' group, making use of traditional handicrafts.

Another part of the exhibition simulates living spaces, created by design studios and Chinese furniture makers.

Speaking about that section, Wang says: "We want viewers to experience the sharp contrast between modern masterpieces and traditional aesthetics of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911)."

One of the spaces created is a room lit by bamboo lanterns created by He Hongbing, a craftsman from Dongyang, in Zhejiang province, along with Dutch designers Yvonne Lauryssen, Lotte van Laatum and Erik Mantel.

The project is presented by the Public Art Coordinating Center of the art college in Shanghai University.

Speaking about the display, Zhang Lili, a representative of PACC, says: "We are engaged in the promotion of handicrafts recognized as China's intangible cultural heritage, and have been providing training for craftsmen since 2015.

"As many of China's craftsmen live in villages, without training in art or design, we provide them with free courses on art basics such as colors and graphic design, and show them around Shanghai."

Separately, PACC introduces them to recognized designers from home and abroad, so that they can create something new and different, says Zhang.

He Hongbing learned traditional bamboo weaving from his father, a national-award winning craftsman named He Fuli. And they used to make bamboo baskets and other containers for food. Today, the containers are not popular in modern households. So, He Hongbing was excited to be working with the Dutch designers to create lanterns of different sizes, shapes and patterns.

Speaking about the lanterns, Zhang says: "You can easily use them in your home as a wall lamp, a table lamp or ceiling lamp. Each one is handmade, and has LED lights.

"The bamboo is dyed, so that it can match different color tones.

"In the past few years, we have done many crossover projects involving established designers and experts in traditional handicrafts. And, we are delighted and eager to introduce the creations to the public."

If you go

Jiangnan Baigong

Duoyunxuan Art Museum

1188 Tianyaoqiao Road, Xuhui district, Shanghai

021-6488-1020

9 am - 5 pm, Tue-Sun, through March 31