Pei Li

PeiPer

Paper artist | Singapore, Singapore

Larger than life in paper and more

Pei Li makes lush botanical sculptures from paper and mixed media
Her works are used as retail displays and public installations
She runs an art school for children where she encourages creativity and upcycling

Blooming as tall as 4,5 metres, Pei Li's floral spectacles often make passers-by stop to question if what they see is real. Rather than being realistic copies of flowers, Pei Li's paper flowers are born from her imagination, carefully crafted on-site, and just like in nature, every petal she makes is unique and has flaws. Pei Li is self-taught in her craft as a paper artist. In 2014, she started out by making a floral paper box for her wedding. Since then, to give her flowers a sensory element, she experiments with unusual materials and has worked with sand, sequins, fur and aluminium to augment the tactility of her creations. “I want to make people feel like they want to touch the paper,” she says. "My dream is to take my installations overseas. When people ask me, ‘What is your favourite project?’ I always tell them that it is the next one, because this is how I challenge myself to grow,” she shares. Pei Li opened up PeiPer Arts School in 2020, cultivating curious minds and deft hands in children aged 4 to 12.

Interview

How do you define a well made piece?: I pour 200% into every project. When the story I want to bring out is well understood, then I know it was well made. I want people to fall in love with the installations I make. It is really satisfying when I watch them be amazed and start taking photos.
How would you describe your artistic style?: I would describe it as very organic. Every petal is different. I hand-trim or hand-shape each one. Although I am a perfectionist, I like to incorporate the imperfection in nature, like torn or browning leaves. So embracing what we see in nature, that is what defines my work these days.
Are there flowers you are particularly interested in making?: Local flowers, which are unnoticed or underrated. One of my favourites is the sandpaper vine which I call the 'bus-stop flower' because it grows along bus-stop shelters in Singapore. I aim to give people a greater appreciation of what is around them.
What do you like most about teaching?: The first thing is the love from the children! Art is still seen as something you cannot make a living from and I want to tell children that they can pursue their passion. I wish to inspire them to turn scrap materials into something beautiful.

Pei Li is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2014 and she started teaching in 2020