“Kaifuna” from We Are Tiger Dragon People series, 17 x 25 x 10”,
edition of 10, 2 remaining

"Naze name brao" translates as weaving slowly in Dulong language. While today the fabrics are weaved from wool, Dulong women traditionally weaved their blankets from hemp. Kaifuna lives along the Dulong River in Northwest Yunnan Province along the borders of Tibet and Myanmar. Using bamboo needles and ink made from ashes from the bottoms of pans, Dulong girls got their tattoos at puberty and each clan had its own set of designs. The origin is not clear, but some claim it was to make them unattractive to powerful neighboring tribes who enslaved the Dulong and went after their women. Dulong women believe that their tattoos resemble butterflies and that the souls of their dead turned into butterflies. As of 2013, there were only 28 tattooed Dulong women left. Additionally, the printable hemp that I used in this book has been discontinued.

Please email fusansan@gmail.com for more info.

Kaifuna, 2008-2023, from We Are TIger Dragon People series
pop-up book, archival pigment printing, matte photo paper, hemp

Golden Lotus, 4.25" x 3.25" x 5/8", edition of 53
疼儿不疼学, 疼女不疼 脚。

“If you care for your son, care not if he suffers in his studies.
If you care for your daughter, care not if she suffers in her feet.”
—Old Chinese saying

The ideal bound feet size was 3 cun, about 3.9 inches and was referred to as Golden Lotus Feet.

Golden Lotus, 2022
pop-up book, handmade paper, polyester lithography, photo polymer intaglio and letterpress, dos-à-dos binding, brocade

Golden Lotus references a popular Chinese origin story of the custom of foot-binding, telling the history of the practice within a historical and personal context. The book features a dos-à-dos binding. One side features a pop-up golden lotus made with handmade paper using lotus root, kozo, and cotton fibers. The images on the petals are from a 1970s X-ray of bound feet combined with X-ray images of the artist’s own feet, and are printed with polyester lithography plates. The other side is a six page booklet featuring text, and photographs taken by the artist on a trip to China in 2014. These images are printed using photo polymer intaglio plates.
Please email fusansan@gmail.com for more info.