Beijing paper art exhibit pushes the envelope

What comes to mind when you hear the term "paper art"?

If you can think of nothing besides paper-cutting and origami, A Tribute to Tradition -- An Exhibition of Contemporary Paper Artworks, can readily expand and update your understanding of this ancient yet ever-evolving art form.

Sponsored by Jilin Normal University in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin province, and slated to open on July 15 at Beijing's Today Art Museum, the National Arts Fund project will pair 58 contemporary Chinese artists and art academy teachers with the work of late folk artist Ku Shulan (1920-2004), a near-mythical figure known as the "Goddess of Paper-cutting" in China.