stories in folk color
Originating in rural Shanxi Province, farmer painting is a distinctive form of Chinese folk art created by self-taught artist. Rather than pursuing realism, they celebrate imagination, symbolism, and the stories of harvests, festivals, animals, and wish for prosperity.
Inspired by the vibrant visual language of Shanxi farmer painting, I explore how its bold colors, symbolic imagery, and joyful compositions can bring new life into those loved designer objects. A vintage Louis Vuitton bag may become the canvas for a tiger, a bird, or a flower. The object remains familiar, yet it begins to tell a new story through the expressive colors and symbolic forms of this cultural heritage.
Working directly on loved Louis Vuitton canvas, artisan interprets the bold colors, symbolic animals, and decorative rhythm that defines Shanxi folk painting.
Rather than asking the artisan to simply reproduce a digital sketch, I invite their own experience and visual language into the process. Together, we explore how a centuries-old painting tradition can find its role in contemporary objects without losing its character.
The resulting studies are the presentation of active listening, drawing, and making together.
The tiger, a recurring symbol of protection and courage in Chinese folk culture, becomes the new guardian of this loved Louis Vuitton bag.
Developed in collaboration with a folk painting artisan, this Dragon design is currently being transformed from digital concept into a hand-painted object, reimagining a vintage Gucci giant travel bag.