HCA NEWS Exhibition of Chinese paper cutouts has opened

Chinese artist, Lu Xue, is exhibiting 112 paper cutouts based on Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense.

By ms - H.C. Andersen 2005 - 06 June 2003

The long-awaited exhibition of 112 Chinese paper cutouts depicting Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales is now open at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense. The paper cutouts were made by the well-known Chinese artist, Lu Xue, who - unfortunately - could not be present at the opening ceremony.   Lu Xue is under a travel ban issued by the Chinese authorities in connection with the outbreak of SARS.

Instead, she will arrive around September 1 this year and demonstrate at the museum her unparalleled technique. She uses scissors exclusively to make her paper cutouts. A very difficult art to master.

The 112 paper cutouts were donated to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum last year and, after a hectic renovation of the museum, it is now ready to show Lu Xue's work to the public.

For centuries, China has been renowned for its tradition of paper cutouts, and these 112 provide a fascinating insight into a different Hans Christian Andersen tradition, which in Lu Xue's art is influenced by Chinese technique and Western form.

Lu Xue belongs indisputably among the elite practitioners of the Chinese art of paper cutting and has exhibited all over Asia, as well as Europe and the United States. The 112 cutouts are based upon five of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales: "The Little Mermaid",  "The Emperor's New Clothes ", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Wild Swans" and "The Little Matchstick Girl".


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