In a Beijing museum, paper becomes a time machine. Young artist Chen Fenwan’s installation ‘A Wall’ transforms crumbling buildings from Guangdong’s nearly abandoned Taipingxu area into breathtaking paper art, stitching together memories of a vanished community. 🎨
At the Dian Xi Yi Ben – Shadow Puppetry and Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chen’s work captures weathered walls once vibrant with life. 'These marks are like time’s autograph,' she told us, comparing peeling plaster to historic carvings. Through 600+ delicate paper cutouts, she resurrects nicknames and stories of former residents – turning decay into legacy.
💡 Pro tip: Chen didn’t just copy the walls – she collaborated with history. By numbering each crack and matching them to oral histories, her art becomes a cultural archive. It’s Like TikTok for the analog age – scroll through layers of time at Nanchizi Museum!
