Originating from Diao Cao Village in Dali, Yunnan, these textile panels reinterpret traditional paper-cut aesthetics through embroidered textile form. Created in the 2000s, each piece reflects a vernacular visual language where symbolism, daily life, and ritual motifs are expressed through layered handmade processes.

Constructed from paper, cotton, and rice glue, the panels preserve the delicate structural logic of paper-cutting while translating it into a soft, textile-based surface. In local practice, embroidery is often stitched directly onto paper-cut works, creating layered surfaces that gradually evolve over time. As the material ages, the embroidered pigments and stitched embellishments slowly fade or wash away, turning the work into a living record of change, memory, and impermanence.

Each panel is produced as part of a paired set (No.1 & No.2), forming a dialogue between repetition and variation. Subtle differences in cut and composition highlight the handmade nature of the work, where no two pieces are identical.

Beyond its role as a decorative object, the piece can be displayed within a frame or removed and reactivated as a participatory surface, inviting the holder to continue stitching onto the paper-cut structure themselves—extending the work into an ongoing process of making.
Sourced from Diao Cao Village, Dali, Yunnan (2000s)

Framed Size: 40 x 40cm