"Paper．Space - Exhibit by Hung Hsin-Fu" American Cultural Center October 6 - December 31, 1999

PR9950E | Date: 1999-10-07

The American Cultural Center lobby will showcase the small-scale art exhibition "Paper．Space - Exhibit by Hung Hsin-fu" from October 6 through December 31, 1999. The American Cultural Center lobby is open to the public 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon - 6:00 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays. The American Cultural Center is located at 54 Nan Hai Road, Taipei.

Papercraft has long been a part of traditional Chinese folk craftsmanship, and is as diverse as children's paper toys and the cutting of paper into auspicious designs. Hung Hsin-fu was first introduced to papercraft at the age of four, learned more as he grew, and decided at age 17 to make papercraft a lifelong pursuit. In the years since, Hung has devoted his time to promoting and educating people about papercraft. He has published more than 10 books on related subjects, and has continuously developed the potential uses of paper in his own artworks.

Hung graduated from Shih Hsin College. He founded the Association of Papercraft and is the Executive Director of the Fu Feng Cultural Company.

Hung tries to make his paper works creative and innovative, with subjects as diverse as animals, folk stories, insects, aquarium life, endangered species, musical instruments, people, architecture, and religion. Objects or ideas from daily life intrigue Hung's creative mind, inspiring him to transform subjects and present them in a manner different from traditional craft formats. With his insatiable curiosity, endless creativity, and dexterous hands, Hung creates unique paper works in abstract or representative compositions. The two- or three-dimensional or relief forms reveal his creative vision as well as the infinite possibilities of paper. The exhibit "Paper．Space" is a display of Hung's master works.

Papercraft involves many techniques, such as manufacturing, embossing, folding, cutting, weaving, layering, collage and paste, semi-sculpting, and three-dimensional sculpting. Hung has mastered all these techniques, and can apply and combine any of the techniques in his works to express his observation of nature and his understanding of life. Some of his works are allegorical, and some depicting the inner character of the subject. Hung's works, like a journal, record the motivation, background, and process of his creation through each cut or fold in the composition. To keep extending the limits of his skill and the art form's possibilities, Hung has tried various forms to present his subjects.

For example, the illusive space of "The Seashell" is brought out by a swirl cut in a single piece of paper. It reveals the interaction of negative and positive space, symbolizing the complementarity of "yin" and "yang." In the "Breeze Series," the abstract figures are formed by and wrapped in strips of paper, implying the various kinds of dressing or decoration that the modern people use to hide their inner reality. To Hung, the expressive possibility of paper is not only its rational/lineal design elements, but also its sensitive qualities. An idea can take shape in paper if the artist can just leap the boundary of techniques to achieve expression.