Taiwanese paper-cutting art exhibition opens in Tokyo

The Taiwan Cultural Center, operated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, will hold the "Cut Flowers, Bloom—Taiwanese Paper-Cutting Art in Matsu" exhibition starting on the 2nd.

Chen Chih-Hsu, who inherits the Matsu paper-cutting technique, brought paper-cutting works by nine elderly women from Matsu to Japan for the exhibition, allowing Japanese people to experience the charm of the local culture and art of Taiwan's outlying islands.

Matsu paper-cutting is a unique folk paper-cutting art of the Matsu Islands, which differs from the paper-cutting on Taiwan's main island. In addition to being decorative, it is full of life symbols and is cut directly with sewing scissors. The lines are rough and powerful, and there are often "sawtooth edges" at the corners, making it highly distinctive.

Chen Chih-Hsu, a Matsu paper-cutting artist born in Nangan, Matsu, has been fascinated by Matsu paper-cutting since childhood. However, he only began to seriously engage in research on paper-cutting at the age of 23. He said that when he returned to his hometown of Matsu 29 years ago, he was deeply moved and excited to find that Matsu still preserved many traditional customs, which led him to dedicate himself to the study of paper-cutting.

At that time, Chen Chih-Hsu met a group of skilled Matsu elderly women who were masters of paper-cutting, and they became his teachers. One of them, Chen Yin-yin, gave him her dowry, a pair of paper-cutting scissors. Chen Chih-Hsu said that for him, it was a very important object symbolizing inheritance.

Chen Chih-Hsu stated that he has always admired Japanese folk art and has hoped for an opportunity to engage in exchanges in Japan and share the folk art of his hometown with the Japanese people. With the strong support of the Ministry of Culture's Taiwan Cultural Center, this beautiful wish has been realized. For this exhibition, he brought three of his own creative works, as well as traditional paper-cutting works preserved for many years by nine Matsu paper-cutting inheritors: Liu Ying-chiao, Chiu Lien-chiao, Liu Nen-mei, Lee Sai-chin, Chen Yin-yin, Chen Shu-chin, Chen Sai-chiao, Lin Chun-lien, and Chen Ying-mei. Among these nine elderly women from Matsu, only 94-year-old Chen Ying-mei is still alive.

One of Chen Chih-Hsu's exhibited works, "Impressions of Taiwan," incorporates Chinese characters and elements of Taiwanese food. For example, within the two characters for "chicken cutlet" (雞排), a chicken is embedded. Even those unfamiliar with Chinese characters can immediately understand by seeing the bun (包子) within the characters. Visitors today gathered around a long string of Chinese characters, searching for familiar Taiwanese foods, and exclaimed that they really wanted to visit Taiwan.

For this exhibition, Chen Chih-Hsu also specially designed commemorative pins symbolizing Taiwan-Japan cultural exchange to present to guests, conveying friendly sentiments between Taiwan and Japan. After the opening ceremony, there was also a live paper-cutting experience, where participants held scissors and concentrated intently.

Tseng Chien-lung, Director of the Taiwan Cultural Center, stated that this exhibition is the first to be curated with Taiwanese island culture as the theme since the establishment of the Taiwan Cultural Center's physical location. He hopes that through this exhibition, more Japanese people will recognize the charm of Taiwan's island culture. Deputy Representative Chou Hsueh-yu stated in his speech that since Japan also possesses rich kirie art and Japanese paper culture, he hopes that through "paper" as a common cultural medium, the understanding and exchange of each other's cultures between the people of Taiwan and Japan will be promoted, and the friendship between Taiwan and Japan will continue to be deepened.

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