"After weeks of Arctic temperatures, the Year of the Fire Horse has finally brought the heat to New York City. Today, February 17, Lunar New Year festivities ran along the stretch of Chinatown's Mott Street on a glorious 45-degree-Fahrenheit afternoon. Carrying a handcrafted puppet in the shape of a horse, illustrator and educator Sarula Bao summoned good tidings by taking a new approach to a traditional Chinese folk art form."
"This year, Bao was selected for the Lantern Residency, an annual initiative organized by cultural nonprofit Think!Chinatown (T!C) that invites artists to create and showcase their interpretation of the paper lantern, a traditional staple in celebrating the Lunar New Year. Through her commission, Bao made reference to bu zha (布扎), a form of fiber art associated with the Bai ethnic minority in China's Yunnan province."
"Theyoften depict the 12 zodiac animals among other notable symbols, and are used to ward off evil forces and bring about peace. Honoringthe meticulous craft and channeling its auspicious elements, Bao created a large-scale bu zhathat took the form of a stuffed horse puppet with multiple appliqué adornments. Bao's "Xiao Baoma (小宝马)" (meaning "Little Precious Horse" in Mandarin) pranced just above the crowds along the Mott Street procession, standing out againstthe cloudy grey sky and frequent showers of multi-colored confetti."
After weeks of Arctic temperatures, the Year of the Fire Horse brought warmer weather to New York City and Lunar New Year festivities filled Mott Street. Illustrator and educator Sarula Bao carried a handcrafted stuffed horse puppet to summon good tidings through a reimagined traditional Chinese folk craft. Bao was selected for the Lantern Residency organized by Think!Chinatown to reinterpret the paper lantern. Bao referenced bu zha, a Bai ethnic fiber art from Yunnan, traditionally small embroidered silk animal handicrafts used as tokens of luck and protection. Bao created a large-scale bu zha horse, Xiao Baoma, adorned with multiple appliqué pieces that pranced above crowds amid confetti.
Read at Hyperallergic
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