Posted February 24, 2017 19:16:33

Photo: Two creators are working together to bring an ancient Chinese artform to Melbourne. (ABC News: Hamish Fitzsimmons)

In China, the ancient art of paper cutting is seen as high culture but a new project aims to bring it to the masses in Australia.

The Bluestonia Paperhood project is a collaboration between Chinese paper cut master Zhou Bing and Melbourne-based artist Philip Faulks.

Photo: Zhou Bing is considered one of China's best paper cut artists and he comes from a family of well-known paper cutters. (ABC News: Hamish Fitzsimmons)

"I hope Philip and I can learn from each other and Chinese traditional art can have some fusion with western street art," Zhou told Lateline.

Zhou's paper cuts are reinterpreted as posters alongside Faulks's paintings, and pasted around the streets of Melbourne.

Photo: The project aims to create the feeling of walking through the streets of a Chinese city. (ABC News: Hamish Fitzsimmons)

Photo: In the Bluestonia exhibition, paper cuts are used as stencils for the posters. (ABC News: Hamish Fitzsimmons)

"In terms of hierarchy in the western traditions, certain art forms are considered as being more important than others but in the Asian tradition certain art forms aren't organized in that kind of hierarchy, for instance working with paper is considered one of the highest art forms there is," Faulks explained.

The aim of Bluestonia is to create the feeling of walking through the streets of Jiangsu, the province where Zhou grew up.

Photo: Philip Faulks and Zhou Bing hope their collaboration will bring one of China's higher art forms to the masses. (ABC News: Hamish Fitzsimmons)

Topics: contemporary-art, street-art, melbourne-3000, vic