there is a wei miao art museum in the hutong, where polymer clay grows up with children
2024-09-25
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yang siqiu, the "post-90s" manager of the art museum, and her soft clay works. photo by our reporter wu yibin
our reporter chen xuening
there is a unique art space in zhao zuizi hutong in tianqiao district. walking into the courtyard, you will see greenery everywhere, simple and natural, and delicate and flexible soft clay art works dotted in between, adding more charm. this place is called "zhao chunxiang wei miao art museum". the founder zhao chunxiang and the manager yang siqiu are a mother and daughter. they use soft clay art as a medium to guide everyone to feel and create beauty in the process of quiet and focused hand-made.
pottery interprets chinese cultural symbols
under the flourishing magnolia flowers, five ladies stand gracefully, accompanied by a maid holding a fan, two puppies play at the women's feet, and a crane stands leisurely on a stone... this vivid and interesting garden scene is made of soft clay and is inspired by "ladies with flowers in their hairpins" by tang dynasty painter zhou fang. it was created by zhao chunxiang and her team in 2013.
recently, zhao chunxiang wei miao art museum has newly exhibited a series of soft clay art works from the tang dynasty ancient paintings. the figures are only five or six centimeters tall, and each one is agile and lively, which captures the charm of the original painting. the round and lovely images of the ladies have also touched the "cute spot" of many young people.
the museum's owner, yang siqiu, is a "post-90s". in 2020, she returned to beijing from hong kong. due to her mother's health and recognition of her mother's career, she decided to work with her mother. "my mother started researching soft clay art and soft clay art therapy in 1999. it is different from traditional intangible cultural heritage. it does not inherit the craftsmanship of predecessors, but basically innovates on its own." yang siqiu said that her mother can be said to be one of the first people to combine chinese traditional culture with soft clay.
walking in the courtyard, you will be dazzled by the various soft clay works, including the cute rabbit god, the girl in flowery clothes holding a guqin, and even earrings and brooches made of soft clay... the beauty of soft clay art is fully reflected here. "there are many young people among our guests. some of them say that they think our rabbit god is very good-looking. i think they see our innovation that preserves chinese cultural traditions." in yang siqiu's view, the rabbit god originated in beijing. the love and responsibility reflected in the story of the rabbit god can be regarded as an expression of chinese culture and can also be connected to the world.
"hand-kneaded painting" is unique and ingenious
the process of making polymer clay works is not complicated. it is roughly divided into three steps: making strips, shaping and baking. the tools are even simpler. except for a blade and a toothpick, the rest depends on the strength of the hands. as the saying goes, "laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the doorway", the magic lies in the making of strips.
the blush on the girl's face, the patterns on her clothes, the flowers on the folding fan... in the polymer clay works, these delicate and exquisite patterns, many of which are no bigger than a fingernail, are not drawn with a pen, but made with clay. this is flower strips, also known as "hand-kneading painting", which was originally a craft used in glass products, but now has infinite possibilities in polymer clay art.
"to put it simply, you have to mix the colors first and prepare clay of the corresponding colors. then, wrap them up one by one like sushi rolls to make flower strips, which are soft clay strips with patterns. finally, cut them into slices with a knife and use the pattern presented on the cross-section to decorate the work." yang siqiu explained that by combining the use of gradient colors and shapes, you can make a delicate peony flower, a butterfly with visible antennae, or even a complete painting.
community art galleries nourish residents’ lives
zhao chunxiang has always believed that the most important thing in making polymer clay is not to make a thing, but to express the inner feelings through the work from heart to hand. "this is not a narrow artistic creation, nor is it a quick study and training, but it is to feel the beauty and become a person who discovers and creates beauty in life."
unlike many common intangible cultural heritage experience courses, the courses at zhao chunxiang art museum generally weaken the steps and techniques. what is more important is to feel the process and guide everyone's state of mind - only when the mind is calm can the hands be coordinated and accurate. "once we did an activity in the community, and after it ended, the other party gave us two feedbacks. one was that we were very quiet during class, the field was quiet, and everyone's mind was quiet. the second was that the teacher never helped everyone to adjust the teaching, and would not do it for you. otherwise, in the end, everyone would have the teacher help them do more than half of it, and then they would post their works on wechat moments to show off. this experience is very distorted." yang siqiu said that the course will guide everyone to learn to accept themselves, accept the present, and feel the gradual progress, rather than being troubled by perfectionism.
in addition to building a curriculum system, in recent years, zhao chunxiang wei miao art museum has also been exploring community building, enriching the local "cultural soil" in the form of a community art museum and nourishing the lives of residents. "when we first came here, there was no soil for cultural content operation, so we came here with the mentality of improving the soil like farmers." yang siqiu said that the art museum chose to take root in the hutong, hoping to play a subtle role bit by bit.
nowadays, the art museum has become a part of the lives of more and more residents in the area, and many children run here after school. "maybe when the children grow up and recall their childhood, they will think of the art museum next to their home, which accompanied them as they grew up," yang siqiu said with a smile.
