Following the 2020 release of the article Twenty-Five Years of My Journey with Kunming Wamao, Yunnan’s Wamao experienced an unprecedented boom and rose to become a widely adored cultural icon. Once a folk heritage craft facing difficult survival, Wamao has since seen its value and recognition multiply many times over, thanks to consistent work to safeguard, inherit and promote this intangible cultural heritage program.
A profound analysis of Wamao’s explosive popularity illuminates the fast-changing landscape of cultural development in the new age. It also fully confirms that ordinary people constitute the most fertile ground for literature and art, a cradle of human wisdom. As time flows forward, diverse artistic blooms evolve alongside each era, composing brilliant volumes of art history.
Wamao first entered formal artistic spaces in 1995. For the long decades afterward, this folk artifact remained a vulnerable tradition in urgent need of preservation and advancement. Thirty years of painstaking inheritance, coupled with its recent evolution and transformation, have turned this folk household ornament into a medium for modern artistic expression.
All contemporary Wamao creations inherit the core DNA of early tile cat sculptures. They carry the original wishes inherent to Wamao’s creation: household protection, wealth attraction and all-around blessings. Meanwhile, each work reinterprets how Wamao gradually took shape through long historical evolution.
The folk craft of Wamao spreads like countless drifting spores, scattering across all regions. Folk artisans of varied cultural backgrounds craft Wamao with diverse, distinctive silhouettes. The recent Wamao cultural boom has nurtured a great cohort of outstanding creators, each expressing unique personal styles. As the old maxim goes, “One’s outer form reflects one’s inner heart.” Creators from different regions and cultural contexts produce an endless variety of Wamao designs.
Symbolized, stylized Wamao only represent superficial craft expression. Contemporary artists pursue creation rooted in inner spiritual experience. Love for the world and the urge to depict it unites all creators. Authentic heartfelt expression from every artist lends richness and color to the world of art.
Today, Wamao makers range from professional craftsmen to ordinary residents, elders, children, professors, academics, students and factory laborers. For every creator, Wamao acts as a vessel to convey inner thoughts. Free expressive creation stirs people’s creative passion. Making a Wamao requires no advanced sculpting technique, nor is it restricted by fixed standard shapes. Creators can freely express their inner emotions and aspirations. This freedom of creation makes Wamao a craft that everyone wishes to experience. It spreads the joy of handmade art among broad groups of people, making Wamao’s widespread fame an inevitable cultural trend.
Works featured in this joint exhibition embody today’s prevailing creative ideologies, standing apart from Wamao works of past ages and forming a landmark milestone of epoch-making significance. A large number of master creators showcase pieces capturing the full spectrum of human sentiment: joy, anger, grief and delight. Anthropomorphic scenes are witty and humorous, saturated with the vitality of modern daily life. Through these works, audiences taste the joy of life, contemplate life’s philosophies, and cultivate compassion for all living beings.
Children also hold an extraordinary affection for Wamao. Many schools have launched handcraft experience courses focused on Wamao. With childlike innocence and unrefined hands, young students craft refreshing, original works full of surprise.
The Wamao trend has spawned works crafted from diverse mediums: metal, wood, embroidery, colored lantern craft, batik, paper-cutting, dough figurine sculpture and more. Transforming endlessly like the Monkey King’s seventy-two metamorphoses, Wamao culture has won fame at home and abroad. Some Wamao manufacturers register annual output values of several million yuan, constantly rolling out new designs — an unforeseen cultural and industrial achievement.
Wamao stands as a cultural calling card of modern Yunnan, its influence elevated from grassroots folk culture to widespread public recognition. This joint Wamao Exhibition fully demonstrates the tremendous vitality and influence of Yunnan’s cultural and creative industry. It is certain that after this landmark exhibition ushering in a brand-new era, Wamao craft will achieve leaping breakthroughs and create new cultural miracles.