Behind the Blades Karin Bit Vejle

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. 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

Tivoli park in Copenhagen, a whole new world opened up to her. “By a tree next to the Tivoli pond I saw a man who was sitting in the sun cutting out paper silhouettes with motifs I had never seen before. I was enraptured, and stood there staring for a long time, watching the man as he maneuvered his scissors to bring forth the most beautiful little paper cutting. I was so taken with the idea that I went right home and got my mother's sewing scissors, and I have never let them out of my sight since. Psaligraphy is a slow and time-intensive affair, but I enjoy every minute of it, and time spent with scissors and paper has become my catharsis!” Over the next 40 years, Bit became such a prolific paper artist that she began to run out of space to store her works. Soon, she was even storing intricate papercuts underneath the rugs of her home. “They might have stayed there forever, if a colleague had not happened to look under my rugs and find them. He thought they should see the light of day.”

Ever since, Bit’s paper cuttings have taken on a life of their own and started a crusade for the rediscovery of papercutting. “It’s a journey that I hope will bring a sense of wonder and happiness, and a breath of adventure to everyone who views them. If my papercuts can manage to make you stop and wonder for just one instant, I think that would be wonderful.”

On view through July 10