Seal Carving (Zhuan Ke) is a traditional craft, seen in bronze carvings as early as the Chinese Bronze Age. There are two basic kinds of carving seals, baiwen and zhuwen, the former with white imprints on a red background and the latter vice versa, a manipulation of the use of space and structure of Chinese characters. Seal carving is an art combining the aesthetics of calligraphy: the characters exude the beauty of calligraphy; the arrangement of the characters articulates the inventiveness of the seal artist. The intricacies of the variations are most pleasing and enchanting and this is where the art of seal carving lies. In a strict sense of the word, Zhuan Ke, it refers in particular to what is later called ‘The art of Seal Carving’ (which emphasises on the art being applied to seals) while in a broad sense, it encompasses all carving techniques. The art flourishes within the tiny space on a seal, it is exquisite and graceful. Seal artists manifest their skills and sophistication in the character of their carvings, each stroke is an expression of the subtle sentiments of the creator’s hands.

 

Year of Rabbit’s Seal Collection 

In 2011, Culture Laboratory, sponsored by M K Lau Collection, invited eight contemporary seal artists to create a series of seals for Project Twelve using the Year of the Rabbit as a theme. 

 

Seal artists: Mao Da Rong, Xu Yun Shu, Hsueh Chin Yang, Gao Shen Jie, Wu Cheng Bin, Ma Kwai Min, Chen Hung Mien, Zhou Jian Guo