Behind the Blades Learn more about Karin Bit Vejle, one of the two main artists in Paper Dialogues: The Dragon and our Stories, on view through July 10
While by no means as prevalent as the tradition in China, papercutting is a vital folk art in Paper Dialogues artist Karin Bit Vejle’s native country of Denmark. In fact, one of the most famous Danish papercutting artists was prolific writer Hans Christian Andersen, who believed that the papercut should not only be pleasing to the eye, but also a challenge to the mind. He often told fantastic and exciting stories while cutting paper and finished a session by presenting the completed papercut to his listeners. Andersen’s passion for papercutting helped to cement the popularity and position of papercutting throughout Denmark.
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The American Swedish Institute
For Bit, who represents narratives in her art, Andersen is a major source of inspiration. But her desire to cut paper stems from something deeper. “My heart and soul are at peace when I have the scissors in hand and the paper dances between the blades. Time stops and every time I open a cutting I feel the same sense of anticipation as when I opened the very first one. I wonder what it will look like? Did I manage to achieve the cut I had in mind? It is just as exciting every time – just like opening an exciting gift.” Until she was 16, Bit viewed papercutting as something only done for holidays such as Easter and Christmas. But one beautiful summer day in
