Qiuwen Wen 温秋雯
Paper artist
Hangzhou, China
Giving light a body
- Qiuwen makes paper sculptures and installations based on the lantern tradition
- Her illuminated works convey a sense of the mythical that resonates across cultures
- She approaches her craft as an artistic reinvention of the lantern
Qiuwen Wen graduated with a degree in oil painting from South China Normal University, before turning her hand to paper sculpting. Inspired by the traditional craft of Chinese lantern-making, she has developed an original paper-layering technique and a distinctive artistic language combining paper and light. Mythical creatures and the natural world feature prominently in her works, creating poetic spaces suspended between reality and imagination. "Paper is the body, while light is the soul," she explains. "Paper shapes not only the form, but also the movement of light, allowing illumination to become a medium for expressing emotion, time and the vitality of life." Through her work, she hopes to offer viewers a quiet yet profound sense of connection, inviting them to rediscover the enduring relationship between humanity and nature, myth and reality.
INTERVIEW
A defining moment in my practice came when I discovered Chinese lantern-making as the perfect medium for my artistic language. Layering paper over lantern frames, I use paper to shape light itself, uniting sculpture, painting, craft and illumination.
Since ancient times, people have gathered around light. I believe light is a universal language beyond culture. By combining light with craftsmanship, I seek to create living works that offer moments of stillness and remind us that the world remains full of wonder.
Inspired by myths, animals and nature across cultures, my work retells humanity’s spiritual stories through contemporary craft. In my piece for Homo Faber 2026, Italian birds become monumental mythical forms, bringing ancient imagination into today’s life.
I pioneered a method of covering traditional lantern frames with paper. I see paper not as a covering material, but as a medium that shapes light. Through layering and cutting, it creates form, texture and delicate variations of light and shadow.
Qiuwen Wen 温秋雯
Paper artist
Hangzhou, China
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Hangzhou, China
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Chinese
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