陈粉丸
纸做的艺术家
Chen Fenwan, a paper artist
剪纸宇宙
The Universe of Paper Cutting
2022 - 2025
粉丸将十余年间创作的上千个纹样矢量化，经过重新编排后形成了这个动态的视觉档案。它们彼此牵动，错落地悬挂于此。
图案的排列组合记录着创作的轨迹，手工与数控的痕迹并存，温热的掌心与发烫的iPad在此刻互为注脚。
Over the past decade, Fenwan has created thousands of patterns, now vectorized and rearranged into this dynamic visual archive, where they intertwine and suspend in layered formations.
Each reconfigured pattern traces the trajectory of her artistic practices, where the marks of hand-cut and digital precision coexist—the warmth of palms and the heat of an iPad inscribing their presence side by side.
剪纸宇宙-正形
The Universe of Paper Cutting - Positive Shapes
2022
“剪纸是取舍的艺术。剪去一些纸，才能留下一些纸”。剪纸镂空的正负形是一个意味深远的话题，正形通过舍弃来获得。沿着一张本不通透的纸，剪去的碎片，最终以相反的方向所去无踪。
"Paper cutting is an art of constructive subtraction. Only by cutting away some paper can keep other parts remain”. The interplay between positive and negative space in paper cutting is deeply symbolic. Positive shapes are achieved through subtraction. As she cuts along the opaque surface of paper, the discarded fragments vanish in the opposite direction, leaving behind the forms that endure.
剪纸宇宙-负形
The Universe of Paper Cutting - Negative Shapes
2024
“不过，真正的剪纸不是那些留下的正形，而是被剪去的负形。就像包裹着我们的宇宙一样。”
“But true paper cutting isn’t about the positive shapes that remain; it’s about the negative shapes that are cut away. Just like the universe that wraps around us.”
2025
江南的灵韵，在于“水”。水的流动，是情感最自然的表达。情感并非孤立存在，而是在不同个体之间传递、互动、回响。粉丸的剪纸图形随水波扩散、轻漾，寓意情感在人与人、内心与外界、过去与现在之间的流转与变换。
The soul of Jiangnan lies in its water. The flow of water is the most natural expression of emotion. Emotions do not exist in isolation; they are transmitted, interacted with, and echoed among different individuals. Fenwan’s paper-cut patterns ripple and drift with the water’s movement, symbolizing the circulation and transformation of feelings between people, between the inner self and the outside world, and between the past and the present.
2025
香花桥，连接南北彼岸，见证了古往今来无数的相逢与离别。桥侧两面，剪纸蓬勃生长，如彩色的气脉与经络，在桥上蟠根错节，蜿蜒流动，仿佛情感在交汇与分离间留下的印记。
Xianghua Bridge spans the water, linking north and south, bearing witness to countless encounters and farewells across the centuries.
On both sides of the bridge, paper-cut forms flourish like colorful meridians and lifelines. They root and twist along the walkway, flowing in layered rhythms — as if echoing the emotional traces left behind by every crossing, every parting.
2025
江南的亭阁，古有文人墨客的曲水流觞，今为游客观景的休憩之所，既可驻足于河边静听水语，又可倚栏闲坐、说东道西。在此，传统亭台规整的空间秩序被解构为情感的暂栖之所，色彩斑斓的剪纸风帘化作飘动的心绪，在亭中摇曳、回旋，萦绕于亭间的每一寸角落。
In Jiangnan, pavilions once hosted scholars drifting cups down winding streams; today, they offer travelers a place to rest, to pause by the river and listen to its murmur, or to lean on a railing in casual conversation. Here, the formal symmetry of a traditional pavilion is reimagined as a resting place for emotions. Vivid paper-cut wind screens flutter like drifting thoughts, swaying and circling through the space, infusing every corner of the pavilion with feeling.
2024
手影，民间传统儿童游戏。
陈粉丸在这个作品中讨论模仿的概念，回望自己儿时成长的过程和艺术学习的路径，都和手影的表演方式一样，是一种模仿。
Hand shadows, a traditional folk children's game.
In this work, Chen Fenwan explores the concept of imitation, reflecting on her own childhood growth and artistic learning journey, both of which resemble the performance of hand shadows--a form of mimicry.
2024
广东南海大地艺术节2024参展作品。
“坐埋同一条船”，粤语俚语，意为同舟共济，利害相同。用同坐一条船表达人们作为命运共同体团结一致，为集体而行动的决心。
Exhibited in Art Field Nanhai Guangdong 2024.
"坐埋同一条船" is a Cantonese idiom meaning “in the same boat”—a metaphor for shared destiny and mutual support. It signifies unity and collective action, highlighting the determination to unite as a community.
2023
先人认为太阳之所以在天上，是因为有鸟背着它飞上天，将鸟的飞翔和太阳的运行生动地结合。陈粉丸爱这种天真，也爱太阳。并天真地设问：我们和太阳的距离什么时候最近？她最终用这个作品来回答。
The ancients believed the sun soared across the sky because a bird carried it on its back, weaving the bird’s flight with the sun’s journey in a vivid, childlike imagination. Chen Fenwan cherishes this innocence—and the sun itself. With the same playful wonder, she asks: When are we closest to the sun? This work is her answer.
不息
Infinite
2018
人如何接近无限？唯有想象力可以触抵。而“龙”正是东方人想象中关于无限的生物，可隐可现，可大可小。
《不息》是陈粉丸的代表作之一，其初衷是一个终生计划——创作一件永不完成的作品。无限可表万千变化的形态，亦或无穷的数量。她因此联想到点与线的组合，用一个个不同角度的龙骨节作为“点”，再用这些点在不同空间去构成各种可能的“线”，拐弯转折且任意延伸。每一节被视为具有复数性的版画，有其专属签版。只要时间足够多，这些节点也将被无限创作下去，在不同空间中生出无限种面貌，是为生生不息、没有终结。
How can humanity grasp the concept of infinity? Only through imagination can we approach it. In Eastern culture, the "dragon" embodies this concept of infinity—a creature that can be both visible and invisible, massive and minuscule.
Infinite stands as one of Chen Fenwan's most signature works. It began as a lifelong project—an artwork designed to remain perpetually unfinished. The piece explores infinity through both endless variations in form and limitless quantity. Inspired by the mathematical concepts of dots and lines, Fenwan uses dragon bone joints as "dots" at various angles. These points then form diverse "lines" across different spaces, creating paths that twist, turn, and extend indefinitely. Each joint is treated as a unique print with its own signature, emphasizing its individual value within the more extensive work. Fenwan intends to continue creating these nodal points indefinitely, as long as time allows. This ongoing process allows the installation to manifest in infinite variations across different spaces.
2022
从小，陈粉丸的妈妈决定带她去学画画，“竹”是她第一次拿起毛笔时学习的对象。20年后，陈粉丸的妈妈退休，她也决定去学画画，“竹”也是她第一次拿起毛笔时学习的对象。在这样一个巧合的闭环里，陈粉丸已经长大，妈妈已经变老，这一串不存在的却连起来的竹子里储存了我们的记忆，也连结了我们并不善于表达的感情。
In her childhood, Fenwan's mother introduced her to the art of painting. "Bamboo" was the first subject Fenwan met when she first held a brush. Two decades later, upon retirement, Fenwan's mother decided to learn to paint herself. Remarkably, "bamboo" was also her inaugural subject. This coincidental full circle captures a poignant moment: Fenwan has matured, while her mother has aged. The conceptual string of bamboo, though intangible, becomes a repository of their shared memories and a conduit for emotions they struggle to express verbally.
2020
陈粉丸以 “方形”和“圆形”为灵感，以纸为媒介，通过不断重复平面来冲破维度，组成一道无限的层叠空间，创造有限空间里的无限之花。
Inspired by the form of “square” and “cycle”, Chen Fenwan uses paper as her medium to break through dimensions by endlessly repeating planes, building an infinite, layered space—an Floral Infinity within a finite realm.
2024
中国龙的英文“Loong“也与中文“龙”读音相似。而作品名Loooooooooong内则有10个o，整体字形与作品形态呼应：龙身由五组不同图案、相对配色的剪纸团纹构成，循环不断。
The English spelling “Loong” echoes the pronunciation of the Chinese word 龙 (dragon). In the title Loooooooooong, the ten o’s mirror the visual form of the work itself: a dragon’s body composed of five sets of circular paper-cut patterns, each with contrasting colors, flowing in a continuous loop.
2022
广东南海大地艺术节2022参展作品。
建筑留下的痕迹，是时间在事物上做的“镂刻”，它似某个时刻历史推进的那一刀。艺术家通过观察和收集太平墟建筑外墙皮剥落的痕迹，以纸张雕刻的形式提取临摹。她创造出一个在地性历史时刻的集合，这些记忆的碎片在空间中不停运转，闪烁重叠。
Exhibited in Art Field Nanhai Guangdong 2022.
The traces left by architecture are engravings of time—each one like a precise incision marking a moment in the movement of history. By closely observing and collecting the peeling surfaces of exterior walls in Taiping Market, the artist translates these timeworn imprints into delicate carvings on paper. What emerges is a constellation of site-specific historical moments—a fragmentary memory archive that rotates, flickers, and overlaps within space.
2022
广东南海大地艺术节2022参展作品。
“我觉得或许就像一个窗户之于一个房间的重要性一样，一片大地如果有一个水域，就透了。我想为这个大地上的一面小窗户贴上我的剪纸，就像贴窗花一样。如果把这个水域比作窗户，那它看出去就是广阔的天空甚至是宇宙。”
Exhibited in Art Field Nanhai Guangdong 2022.
“I think it’s like how a window gives life to a room—a stretch of land becomes translucent when it holds a body of water. I wanted to place my paper cuttings on this small window of the earth, like decorating it with window grilles. If we see the water as a window, then what it looks out upon is the vast sky, or even the universe.”
《转运花园》
Lucky Garden
2019
我带着这双断掌，转变成更好的自己。
Guided by the lines etched deep across my palms, I move towards a better self.
陈粉丸将每位投稿者的掌纹以剪纸的方式呈现，使不同掌纹组合、转动,布置成闪烁的转运大阵。
对称的自然 系列
Series of Symmetrical Nature
2019
陈粉丸以剪纸手段，提炼成都特有的植物元素，并用超现实的嫁接手法令所有植物从竹子中生长而出，创造出如未来梦境般的气泡森林。
Chen Fenwan distills plant forms unique to Chengdu through the medium of paper cutting, and, using a surreal method of grafting, allows all vegetation to grow out from bamboo. The result is a bubble forest—an imagined landscape that shimmers like a dream from the future.
对称的自然 系列
Series of Symmetrical Nature
2020
这是一片崭新的图腾森林。人与异植的纹样相继接驳，游走的剪纸线条中又留有斑斓的空白。当身处林中或俯视林内，在不同的高度与角度中，皆有不可预知的形色。
This is a newly imagined totemic forest, where patterns of humans and fantastical plants connect in succession. Flowing paper-cut lines meander through the space, leaving behind vibrant voids. Whether wandering within the forest or gazing from above, each shift in height or angle reveals unpredictable forms and colors.
对称的自然：蓝色呼吸
A Symmetrical Nature: Blues Breathing
2022
在黄浦江边勾了银边。
A silver sideline was drawn along the Huangpu River.
对称的自然：星河绽放
Symmetrical Nature: Stars
2021
星辰指引人对于宇宙的想象，我们时常向天空与星辰投去目光；也试图循着心之所向彼此靠近，从浓烈的红过渡到温和的白。
The stars guide our imagination of the universe—we often gaze toward the sky, toward the constellations, and also attempt to draw closer to one another, following the pull of the heart, transitioning from an intense red to a gentle white.
对称的自然
A Symmetrical Nature
2023
“对称是一个动词。平衡共生，是人试图对称自然；
生命的循环，是上一个时间试图对称下一个时间。
而在这个空间里，剪纸就是对称本身。
我制造一个景观，去对称心里涌动的风景。”
"Symmetry is an action. Balance and coexistence reflect humanity's attempt to harmonize with nature;
The cycle of life is a process where one moment tries to mirror the next.
In this space, paper cutting embodies the symmetry itself.
I create a landscape that mirrors the internal scenery stirred by my emotions."
挥手 对称初见与别离
Wave Hands to Our First Meet and Last Goodbye
2023
如题。
献给即将认识的人和来不及道别的人。
As Titled.
A dedication to those we are about to meet and those we never got to say goodbye to.
2022
“10是5+5，我们的一只手是5，手牵手就是10，快乐会因心意相连而加倍。
“这是一道简单的数学题，套用在人与人的情感中，便有了艺术的浪漫。我们渴望对称的情感，牵手、拥抱，都是对称的行为。除了视觉，对称还在我们的观念和意识里，只是现在暂时寄存在这些对称的快乐人仔上。”
"Ten is five plus five—one hand is five, and hand in hand makes ten. Joy doubles when hearts are connected.”
“It's a simple math problem, but once applied to human emotions, it takes on the poetry of art. We long for symmetrical affection—holding hands, embracing—these are all symmetrical gestures. Beyond the visual, symmetry lives in our beliefs and consciousness too, only now, it's temporarily housed in these joyful, mirrored minifigures."
2024
寻找快乐、天真与松弛，探讨轻松生活与公共艺术的可能性。
Seeking joy, naivety and relaxation. Explore and discuss the possibility of an easy lifestyle and public art.
2021
粉丸带着自己的课题「对称」平移到两千公里以外的天津，作为驻地艺术家进行了为期2个月的考察和创作计划，并将当地风土文化转化为养分，呈现在最终作品《对称系列：风筝》之中。
Fenwan brought her ongoing research into “symmetry” two thousand kilometers north to Tianjin, where she undertook a two-month residency of field research and artistic creation. Drawing inspiration from the local landscape and culture, she transformed these impressions into nutrients for her work, culminating in the final installation Symmetrical Series: Kite.
热爱的魂
Loving Soul
2019
热爱的人 Loving Ones
2023
情感不具形，热爱不呈状。在想象力的驱动下，粉丸将情绪体验凝结成形、为其着色。银色与粉色在纸上彼此交叠、共同跳跃，碰撞出新的热量。并进一步发问：如果爱可以被触摸，它们会是滚烫发热的吗？
Emotions have no fixed form; passion holds no definite shape. Driven by imagination, Fenwan crystallizes emotional experiences into tangible shapes and infuses them with color. Silver and pink overlap and leap across the paper, colliding to generate new warmth. If love could be touched, would it burn with searing heat?
行羽 Fly
2021
2017
凤凰是人与神之间的一座桥梁，是东方文化的神秘符号，人类借助它来解读未知和飘渺的距离。
The phoenix serves as a bridge between humans and the divine—an enigmatic symbol in Eastern culture through which humanity seeks to interpret the unknown and the intangible.
乌托邦 Utopia
2017 - 2023
陈粉丸以2015年写下的一首诗作为文本，从汉语翻译到手语，再转化为速写图像，最后以乱序方式拼贴成画。
3种语言的转译使得文本已不可读，不可避免的信息传递偏差在这个时候可以是美的。
Chen Fenwan takes a poem she wrote in 2015 as the textual foundation—translating it from Chinese to sign language, then into sketch images, before finally collaging them in a disordered composition.
Through these three layers of translation, the original poem becomes unreadable. The inevitable distortion in transmission, at this moment, becomes a form of beauty.
2021
作品中通过编程牵引当中的日月星，旋转出次次漩涡。粉丸尝试令观众的视线与宇宙的“正面”垂直，甚至同星体对话、与乾坤平视。
Through programming traction, the sun, moon and stars, rotates out of the vortex. The artist tries to make the audience's view perpendicular to the "front" of the universe, even talking to the stars and looking at the contour level.
2021
陈粉丸以个人视角，为米奇虚构出缤纷交错的脉络，并在其中点上象征梦想、灵感、情绪……的迷你枢纽，尝试将东方剪纸元素与米奇契合出在地的活力。
From her perspective, Chen Fenwan weaves a vibrant, interlacing network for Mickey, dotting it with miniature nodes symbolizing dreams, inspiration, and emotions. Through this imaginative structure, she seeks to merge Eastern paper-cutting elements with Mickey’s playful energy, bringing a unique local vitality to life.
2015 - 2023
陈粉丸以手术刀作为工具的镂空剪纸作品，表达了对自我身体的解构与重建，暗示手不仅具有创造性，更具有修复性。
Chen Fenwan’s cut-out paper works, created using a surgical scalpel, explore the deconstruction and reconstruction of her own body—suggesting that the hand is not only a tool of creation, but also of healing.
对称系列
Series of Symmetry 2022
平面
Flat Surface
2015
“粉色，是在《平面》这本手工书的创作里找到的。我当时采集了很多人的证件照，打散并重组，用外科手术缝合的方式，把面膜缝合上去，揭开面膜是奇奇怪怪的脸。就在我从这些人脸中提取颜色作为纸张的底色时，我惊讶地发现粉色竟然是东方人皮肤的颜色，原来我无法逃避这个我讨厌的颜色。于是粉色说服了我，成为了承认无知的真诚、怀疑一切的好奇、推翻重来的勇气。从此之后，我就开始报复性地使用它了。”
"Pink—it's a color I discovered while creating the handmade book Flat Surface. I gathered ID photos from various people, dismantled and reassembled them. Using surgical stitching techniques, I sewed facial masks onto the surface, and beneath each mask was a strange, unusual face. As I extracted colors from these faces to serve as the background color of the paper, I was surprised to discover that pink was often associated with East Asian skin tones. I couldn't avoid this color that I used to despise. Eventually, pink convinced me—it became a symbol of embracing ignorance with sincerity, curiosity to question everything, and the courage to reinvent. After that, I began using pink as a kind of rebellious expression."
手工书
Handmade Books
2012 - 2023
“我大学学习的专业是书籍装帧艺术，有4年和纸合作的时间，即使毕业后，也有3年时间在继续做书、开手工书工作坊、参加独立书展。书的创作让我拥有了强大的动手能力和创作欲望，书就是一页页对折的空间。后来我把书中的纸单独抽取出来作为媒介进行探索，也就有了后来的剪纸和纸做的一切。”
"My university studies focused on the art of book binding, providing me with four years of intensive experience working with paper. Even after graduation, I dedicated three more years to bookmaking, conducting handmade book workshops, and participating in independent book fairs. The process of creating books endowed me with robust hands-on skills and ignited a powerful creative drive. I came to understand that a book is essentially a space folded page by page. This realization led me to extract individual pages from books, exploring them as an independent medium. This exploration eventually evolved into my work with paper-cutting and various paper-based creations."