Chinese paper art exhibition captivates Swiss audience
An exhibition of contemporary Chinese paper art, titled "Splendor Paper Art For Millennia -- International Touring Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Paper-Based Art (Switzerland Stop)", opened at the China Cultural Center in Bern, Switzerland, on Friday, November 22, 2025. The 11-day exhibition showcased over 80 paper-based artworks by 52 Chinese artists, attracting visitors from Switzerland, France, Germany, and beyond.
The exhibit featured a diverse range of paper art forms, including ink painting, rubbing, paper-cutting, paper sculpture, paper installations, and pulp art. One particularly intriguing piece was a sack-shaped artwork crafted from the pulped pages of Cihai, a comprehensive Chinese dictionary and encyclopedia. Artist Wang Lei explained that the recycled pulp was reshaped to symbolize the "countless words gathered as blessings".
Xiao Huang, the exhibition curator, emphasized the significance of papermaking as one of China's "Four Great Inventions of Ancient China", highlighting its technological breakthrough and its role in understanding Chinese civilization. He also noted that "the material of paper is itself a language".
Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland, Qian Minjian, highlighted the historical role of paper as a witness to exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations. He also mentioned that paper-cutting, a traditional folk art in Asia, is cherished in Switzerland as a valued cultural tradition.
Mosimann Kurt, an 87-year-old visitor, expressed his amazement at the Chinese philosophy behind the paper-based artworks, recalling his first visit to China in 1984 and his enduring fascination with Chinese culture and people.
Swiss artist Valerie Kessler praised the exhibition's high quality and the rich diversity of Chinese art, stating that she was inspired and impressed by the techniques employed by the Chinese artists.
The "Splendor Paper Art For Millennia" exhibition has already been presented in Sofia, Bulgaria, and The Hague, Netherlands. Following the Bern stop, it is scheduled to travel to Belgrade, Serbia, and Budapest, Hungary, showcasing the beauty and creativity of Chinese paper art to audiences worldwide.
