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. Traditionally, bu zha are small embroidered silk animal handicrafts that are either worn or displayed in homes, serving both as tokens of luck and protection. They often depict the 12 zodiac animals among other notable symbols, and are used to ward off evil forces and bring about peace.
Honoring the meticulous craft and channeling its auspicious elements, Bao created a large-scale bu zha that 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 against the cloudy grey sky and frequent showers of multi-colored confetti.
“I wanted to include some traditional Chinese New Year motifs that are most associated with luck and prosperity, such as mandarins, fish, coins, and the yuanbao, which was historically used as currency,” Bao told Hyperallergic. She also included references to traditional flower motifs that she came across in her research on bu zha.
Bao explained that she frequently integrates her own visual language into her research-based practice, which includes her work as the director of Endless Editions at the Brooklyn Art Book Fair.
“Because I’m celebrating Lunar New Year here in the States, I also wanted to include some of my own symbols that I personally associate with luck and happiness, so I added stars, music notes for positive emotions, and a house because the celebration feels like home to me,” she said.
Bao’s bu zha will make an appearance on Mott Street again during the Super Saturday lantern celebration on February 28 from 3pm to 5pm. T!C is also hosting other creative and culinary programs through the first week of March to celebrate the Year of the Horse.
