Page 43 - 170 Varsity ebook

/ 41
/ 41

From Pikachu to Poetry:

Su Embroidery

Su Embroidery blends tradition with modern artistry.

By Zora Yan

mbroidery master Zhang
Xue combines tradition-
Eal Su embroidery tech-
niques with the image of Pikachu,
a popular Japanese anime charac-
ter, to create a folding fan.

Invited by the production team
of the Japanese movie POKÉMON
Detective Pikachu, Zhang then
spent six months creating this
handmade artwork featuring the
cartoon character.

Zhang sent the folding fan as
a gift to Ryan Rodney Reynolds,
who did the voice of Pikachu in
the film at a press conference when
launching the movie in 2019.
Zhang Xue is making the poster f or the W angyiyun Game ‘One Dream Jianghu’. (Photo
Zhang Xue is making the poster for the Wangyiyun Game ‘One Dream Jianghu’. (Photo
courtesy of Xue’s Embroidery )
‘No one could have imagined c our tes y o f Xue ’s Embroider y )
that Su embroidery could be ap- craftsman began when he was four.
plied in this way,’ the 36-year-old
craftsman says. ‘My ideas differ from others as
I don’t follow the traditional way
Su embroidery refers to the of sewing paintings and patterns.
sewing style in the Suzhou re- I aspire to create modern Su em-
gion, originating in the Chunqiu broideries such as the minimal-
Dynasty. There are a total of four ist style featuring simplicity and
embroidery styles in China and the a monochromatic palette of black
other three are Xiang from Hunan, and white that young people like,’
Shu from Sichuan, and Yue from he says.
Guangzhou.
In 2015, Zhang started his own
Zhang’s family has been en- embroidery studio in Zhenghu,
Pikachu Embroidery Artwork made by Zhang
Pikachu Embroider y Ar twork made b y Zhang gaged in Su embroidery for sev- Suzhou. Unlike traditional em-
Xue. (Photo c our tes y o f Xue ’s Embroider y ) broidery artwork, which mostly
Xue. (Photo courtesy of Xue’s Embroidery )
eral generations. His journey as a