Exhibition: Oct. 2, 2009 to Feb. 13, 2010

When East meets West 

It was a daring idea to invite the leading Chinese paper-cutting artists to Appenzellerland and introduce them to its countryside, people, and culture. Ernst Hohl, founder of the Ernst Hohl Cultural Foundation, and curator Yu Hao did just that: For one week, five of the most famous paper-cutting artists from various Chinese provinces (Pei Xiaoqi from Yan’an, Hua Yuexiu from Central China, Wang Hongchuan from Inner Mongolia in May 2008, Xu Yang from Bejing and his gifted student Huang Ying from Sichuan in July 2008) travelled through the eastern part of Switzerland, witnessed traditional customs, and visited both scenic as well as cultural landmarks – scissors always at hand. 

The exchange between the two very different cultures was a huge success and led to a rich and extensive exhibition presenting around eighty unique works of art. The Chinese artists offered the Swiss beholder a new perspective on Swiss customs some of which are centuries old. They also introduced them to the Chinese art of paper-cutting, which they would not have experienced as intensely had the motifs not been so familiar to them.

Impressions of the opening night of 1st Oct. 2009