Cover Photography: Lance Vun
Photography: Lance Vun
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A blank piece of paper may be intimidating, but for this Sarawakian paper artist, it signifies endless possibilities. Here’s how a graphic design major who lost her way got her groove back
For Ceres Lau, a Sarawakian paper sculptor whose work has garnered international recognition, her journey as a paper artist was a road less travelled.
Growing up in Kuching in the early 2000s, Lau, then a graphic design student at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, was the top of her class, and everything seemed to fall into place.
When she went to London in 2011 to continue her studies, however, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Lau struggled with her chosen major, and eventually found herself at the lowest of her class instead. During her final year, Lau was paralysed with fear as the future seemed to slip away from her grasp.
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Above Image: courtesy of Ceres Lau
Image: courtesy of Ceres Lau
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Her lecturer noticed something was amiss. When Lau confessed her disinterest in graphic design, the lecturer simply told her to not force herself, and make use of her final year in university to truly explore where her passions truly lie.
That was turning point for Lau. Not wasting any time, she threw herself into every medium she could find: photography, silk screening, lino printing, 3D printing, and more. One day, however, free from assignments and classes, Lau was wandering the streets of London when a sudden downpour started.
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Running into a small shopping complex to shelter herself from the rain, Lau was instantly taken by a large, illustrated poster of Russian artist Yulia Brodskaya’s work. Searching up her name on Google, Lau was inspired by how Brodskaya’s art mainly used paper—a material that Lau herself used to love as a young girl.
“That poster was like a lighthouse in a storm for me,” recalls Lau. “Paper was a material I tried experimenting with back in Kuching, but I was discouraged from doing so. Seeing Brodskaya’s work in-person moved me so much that I ran to the nearest art store I could find, grabbed all the paper I could get my hands on, and got straight to work.”
Come 2012, while Lau interned as a junior graphic designer in the UK, she also pursued paper art on the side. Her then-company was supportive of her craft; her bosses and colleagues liked her work so much that they would ask her to create paper art for their clients.
Her spark would only return briefly, however, as once she returned home at the end of that very same year, Lau was at a loss for what to do as her paper art was met with scrutiny by those closest to her.
L O V E (2014), a paper-quilled typographical illustration
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“I would get comments like ‘Why are you doing this when you’re a graphic design major?’ or ‘What you’re doing is just a hobby, get a proper job.’ Essentially, I was told that I wouldn’t ever have a future doing paper art. And that hit me hard,” Lau admits. “So I listened to them. I took all of the comments to heart and I stopped doing paper art for the next two years. I went back to being a graphic designer. I even helped out in the family business and worked as an insurance agent too.”
But in 2014, Lau was offered an opportunity to take part in a local exhibition—and hope returned, but this time, Lau was determined to see it through. Creating a piece heavily inspired by Yulia Brodskaya for the exhibition, Lau would then go on to do every odd job she could find to sustain herself while making paper art on the side.
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Fast-forward to 2017, things were starting to look up for Lau. After successfully selling one of her earlier pieces to a buyer when no one else wanted to, and then being commissioned by McDonald’s UK for their “Good To Know” campaign, Lau took a leap of faith to become a full-time paper artist.
But nothing worth doing is easy, especially for those who turn their passions into careers. Though Lau says she has faced her fair share of roadblocks—having no idea how to create a sustainable business with a craft as niche as paper art—the artists that she met along the way made her journey less solitary.
One of them was an Australian artist who Lau met while doing an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. When he asked what her plans were for the future as an artist, Lau scrambled for something to say, and instead of judging her lack of plans, he told her just “keep at it, and create enough work to fill up an exhibition.”
And so she did. Lau says that it was the best advice she’d ever gotten. “After building up my portfolio, I submitted multiple applications to exhibitions and galleries, both local and international. That was how I got all my offers for commissioned projects and international exhibitions.”
Image: courtesy of The Balvenie
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Today, Lau has a significant number of collaborative projects under her belt. One of them is an exhibition hosted by Scottish distillery, The Balvenie, for The Makers Project, a programme by the brand that celebrates craftspeople from all walks of life. Creating a series of larger-than-life paper sculptures that detail the processes behind The Balvenie’s craftsmanship and their emphasis on using their hands, Lau features human elements to reflect the spirit and passion of the faces behind The Balvenie.
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And it’s clear that Lau is in her element; her sculptural works possess a profound depth, both literally and metaphorically. Each layer serves a purpose, and Lau shapes the paper in such a way that allows the material to mimic its real-life inspirations, making use of her keen sense of colour and composition. Aspiring to push the boundaries of what paper can do, Lau aims to even create her own paper from scratch using the scraps she’s amassed from past projects.
“I want people to be more open to unconventional pathways when it comes to art, because I believe that the potential of any medium, including paper, can only be limited by our own creativity. In October, I will be joining an exhibition held at Hoan Gallery, located in Kuching!”
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Usually found at home and one with her couch, Koy Yi would either crack open a good book or game in her spare time to wind down after a long day. She also loves to scour art conventions and book fairs alike when she's able, collecting art books of all regions to gain inspiration for her own illustrations. With a keen interest in people and the stories they tell, she enjoys a good talk and a good laugh (preferably over food). Follow her on her Instagram @peiyi57.
