Art Workshop: Calligraphy and Papercuts

Saturday 29 May, 2pm-4pm | ages 12+

As an ancient artform, Chinese calligraphy is intractably linked with Chinese painting and poetry for over two thousand years. It is valued as an art form in both graphic gestural and poetic terms. An appreciation of the gesture and forms of Chinese calligraphy also supports the study of Chinese language. 

As a pure artform, Chinese calligraphy is an expression widely practiced in China and held in high esteem across East Asia. As Stanley-Baker states: "Calligraphy is sheer life experienced through energy in motion that is registered as traces on silk or paper, with time and rhythm in shifting space its main ingredients."

The art of paper cutting in China dates back to the second century CE. As one of the most popular types of Chinese folk art, papercuts express people’s celebration for life and aspiration for better futures. Traditionally paper-cuts were used to decorate doors and windows to cheer people up and entertain the households. They are glued to windows, so the light would shine through the negative space and enhance the Yin and the Yang of the patterns.

Join Huilin Sun, Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences to explore the rhythm of time through the movement of brush on paper. Also, embrace your creativity by manoeuvre folded paper under your scissors and generate intriguing patterns. Huilin Sun will be joined by students from her Chinese Language course together with others studying at the Graduate School of Education to conduct this free workshop.    

Huilin Sun grew up in an artistic family in Beijing and started to paint and draw from an early age. She studied art and design at the Beijing art and design school in the 1980s and graduated with a bachelor or visual art degree from ECU in 2008. Huilin taught calligraphy, Chinese painting and papercut at the International school of Beijing and at the Confucius Institute in Perth. Currently a lecturer at Chinese studies at UWA, Huilin is passionate about sharing her love of Chinese art and crafts to her students and local audience in Perth.   

Campus Partners: School of Social Sciences and Graduate School of Education

Please note: due to Covid-19 safety precautions, registration is essential for this event and space is limited.

Image: courtesy of Huilin Sun