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      Colorful Pods and Rings Made from Recycled Paper Dangle from Yuko Nishikawa’s Whimsical Mobiles

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      Art
      #installation
      #paperFebruary 8, 2022Grace EbertAll images © Yuko Nishikawa, shared with permissionIn Yuko Nishikawa’s dappled fields of color, dozens of small pods and curved rings in pale blues, greens, and pastel hues hang in dreamlike suspensions. The Brooklyn-based artist (previously) is known for her delicate mobiles made with recycled paper that she hand-dyes and shapes into wide, sloping bowls or flat hoops. Once dried, she attaches the individual pieces to thin metal armature and hangs the fanciful composition from the ceiling.Nishikawa’s most recent mobiles augment the paper works with clear glass lenses that catch and refract the light, adding another dimension of color to the whimsical displays. “Looking up, clusters of mobiles against the black painted ceiling was like looking up the stars,” she writes of her recent solo exhibition at Kishka Gallery & Library.At the moment, Nishikawa is involved in multiple projects, including a display at Main Window Dumbo opening in March and an installation at The Brooklyn Home Company this spring. In addition to her paper pieces, she also creates ceramic works, which will be on view at Friends Artspace in Washington, D.C., through summer. She has dozens of new mobiles available in her shop, and you can keep up with her multi-faceted practice on Instagram.
      #installation
      #paperDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      Hand-Dyed Paper Seeds Flow Through Sculptural Landscapes and Portraits by Ilhwa Kim

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      Art
      #abstract
      #landscapes
      #paper
      #portraits
      #sculptureFebruary 2, 2022Grace Ebert“Run” (2021), 132 x 164 x 13 centimeters. All images © Laam Yi, shared with permissionSouth Korean artist Ilhwa Kim describes her meditative sculptural works as analogous to living architecture, “a live plant or the tree in (an) urban or natural space.” Comprised of carefully placed components in parallel lines and dense fields, Kim’s pieces materialize through innumerable rolled paper seeds that form organic, abstract landscapes and portraits—read about the artist’s painstaking process for crafting the individual elements previously on Colossal.In each work, Kim arranges an assortment of depths, colors, and textures: she tucks visible folds among more upright segments and installs thin, sweeping lines evocative of a single brushstroke through vast expanses of white. “When moving from painting to sculpture, I wanted to do everything I was able to use in painting; even brush strokes and all the wide color paints,” she tells Colossal. “But I’d like my works to have a far stronger life presence in the physical surroundings as a sculpture.”Because the dimension of each seed varies, the fluctuating compositions shift in color and texture depending on the perspective of the viewer, animating the scenes with light and shadow. Kim frequently photographs her pieces on sidewalks and in public places, which she shares on Instagram, to present the lively works within similarly bustling environments, and you can see the sculptures in person this October at HOFA Gallery.Seedsystem detail“Spectrum 2” (2021), 119 x 93 x 13 centimeters“The Face of Nature” (2021), 132 x 164 x 13 centimeters“Forrest Keeper” (2021), 164 x 132 x 15 centimeters“Choral Symphony” (2021), 192 x 224 x 13 centimetersDetail of “Choral Symphony” (2021), 192 x 224 x 13 centimeters“My Seed Your Town” (2021), 164 x 132 x 13 centimeters“White Portrait” (2022), 119 x 93 x 12 centimetersSeedsystem detail
      #abstract
      #landscapes
      #paper
      #portraits
      #sculptureDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      Movement and Flow Infuse Pleated Paper Sculptures and Modular Designs by Richard Sweeney

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      Art
      Craft
      #paper
      #sculptureJanuary 10, 2022Grace Ebert“Swan.” All images © Richard Sweeney, shared with permissionEvoking the spread wings of a bird in flight or a dancer’s graceful bends, the paper sculptures created by Richard Sweeney (previously) convey movement through an intricate display of folds and pleats. The monochromatic works, which the West Yorkshire, England-based artist manipulates into their final shapes with small cuts, wet creases, and dabs of adhesive, are abstract and asymmetrical in form, inspiring a range of associations. “People see different things—animal skulls and a spinal column being a few of my favorites mentioned so far,” he tells Colossal.Sweeney’s process has remained largely the same during the last few years, and he still crafts a variety of malleable, modular forms like the pliable helix shown below, although he now gravitates toward more organic shapes that appear to flow from one end to the other. “I like to go out walking in the countryside, so there is plenty to see there that influences me—birds in flight, streams, and rivers, cloud formations—so I’ll make sketches and take photographs and let that guide my sculptural work. I don’t usually work with a particular form in mind,” he says, noting that each sculpture often takes multiple weeks to complete.Pick up a copy of Sweeney’s Fluid Forms for a deeper look at his practice, and if you’re in London, stop by Deirdre Dyson before January 14 to see his pieces in person. You can also follow his latest works on Instagram.“Swan”“Flight Sequence”“Swan”“Cloud”Detail of “Flight Sequence”Detail of “Cloud”“Swan”
      #paper
      #sculptureDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      In States of Ruin, Architectural Sculptures by Peter Callesen Spring from a Single Sheet of Paper

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      Art
      #architecture
      #paper
      #sculptureNovember 24, 2021Grace EbertDetail of “Human Ruin.” All images © Peter Callesen, shared with permissionTowering over cut-out voids are artist Peter Callesen’s sculptures of existing architectural ruins and stately edifices. Constructed with a single sheet of white paper, the miniature buildings appear to surface from their original flat piece into three-dimensional forms complete with crumbling facades and tipped columns. Each work juxtaposes the soft, fragile material with the sturdy subject matter and “is a reminder of what once was present and that even material like stone can change and break,” the artist says, explaining further:Almost as creation in reverse, the ruin as a motif for my works deals with the themes of rise and fall, through typical gothic architecture inspired by romantic painters. The ruins are rising from their intact and undamaged silhouettes. The work ‘17.8 Tall Tower of Babel’ is also linked to brokenness and failure, because of the Tower of Babel myth.Callesen, who is based in Mors, Denmark, is showing some of these smaller sculptures at Vestjyllands Udstillingen through January,  and you can explore more of his intricate miniatures and sprawling installations on Instagram.“Human Ruin”“17.8 Tall Tower of Babel’”“On The Other Side”“Little Erected Ruin”“Little Ice Castle”“Erected Ruin”
      #architecture
      #paper
      #sculptureDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      Cleverly Collaged Portraits Layer Vintage Ads and Magazine Spreads into Dramatic Daydreams

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      Art

      #collage
      #found photographs
      #humor
      #paper
      #vintage

      November 18, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Did You Ever Really Love Me.” All images © Shane Wheatcroft, shared with permission
      With a flair for spectacle and clandestine activities, the perfectly coiffed characters of Shane Wheatcroft’s collages face a deluge of intrigue and drama. The Kent-based artist snips vintage ads and editorial spreads that become the musings of professionally photographed subjects: a woman replays an excruciating party scene, a businessman envisions a wholesome family gathering, and quite a few protagonists imagine scenarios they likely keep covert.
      Having worked with the medium for the last five years, Wheatcroft boasts a body of work that includes a broad array of collages, from bold typographic sayings to cheeky compositions that use ad slogans and outmoded headlines to poke fun at social conventions. Surreal and witty, the new portraits feature imagery from periodicals published between 1945 and 1975. They’re spurred by “being a big fan of John Stezaker and buying old movie annuals that had stunning publicity shots of film stars on plain backgrounds. The recent series I’m making is really my attempt to reflect everyday dramas and scenarios through the medium of collage,” he says.  “They’re kind of like a hybrid of Dalí’s portrait of Mae West and Coronation Street.”
      The main portrait sets the tone for the piece, Wheatcroft tells Colossal, with the background image, furniture, and figures pasted on top. These additional elements compose an abstract representation of a face and generally feature a single eye peering through a television set or frame on the wall. “I’ll often have a song or personal experience in my head that’ll become the theme of the piece,” the artist says. “I can spend hours searching for an image of the right-sized chair or person that will fit. It’s a bit like making a jigsaw puzzle and hunting for the missing pieces.”
      Represented by Lilford Gallery in Canterbury, Wheatcroft has been sharing a variety of flat collages and 3D diorama-style pieces—see these layered works up close on Instagram—and he also has a few pieces available for purchase on Artfinder. (via Kottke)

      “Tough Room”
      Left: “Parents Outgrown.” Right: “The Merry Widow”
      “You Are My Sunshine”
      “RGB”
      Left: “Private Eye.” Right: “Notice Me”
      “The Gables”

      #collage
      #found photographs
      #humor
      #paper
      #vintage

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      Exquisitely Cut Paper Sculptures by Rogan Brown Highlight the Effects of Coral Bleaching

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      Art

      #climate crisis
      #coral
      #paper
      #sculpture

      November 4, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Detail of “Ghost Coral.” All images © Rogan Brown, shared with permission
      “The coral reef is a microcosm of a macrocosm,” says paper artist Rogan Brown. “What is happening to the reefs today will ultimately happen to the planet tomorrow unless action is taken.” Through new paper sculptures comprised of delicately fringed sea creatures, Brown (previously) creates a striking visual display of the disastrous impacts of the climate crisis on marine life, showing how issues like coral bleaching can radiate outward into the wider world.
      In “Ghost Coral,” two circular reliefs comprised of intricate paper cuttings splay outward, layering the fragile lifeforms sliced from stark, white paper. These monochromatic pieces contrast their vibrant counterparts, which are nestled into the protective center of one of the masses. The other work, titled “Coral Garden,” is Brown’s interpretation of the heat-resistant organisms that scientists grow and plant in deteriorating patches for rejuvenation, and he places bright, healthy creatures, which are enclosed in transparent bubbles, within swaths of spindly, pale creatures. To create both pieces, Brown follows the same meticulous process, which involves drawing the organisms, cutting them out with a laser, and carefully hand-painting and mounting them into their final, sprawling forms. “The fragility and delicacy of paper seem to fit perfectly with the subject it is describing,” he tells Colossal.
      The exquisitely crafted assemblages shown here are part of an ongoing series, which Brown will show this month at Galerie Bettina von Arnim in Paris, and you can keep up with his work on Instagram.

      Detail of “Coral Garden”
      Detail of “Ghost Coral”
      “Ghost Coral”
      Detail of “Ghost Coral”
      “Coral Garden”
      “Ghost Coral”
      Detail of “Coral Garden”

      #climate crisis
      #coral
      #paper
      #sculpture

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      Innumerable Cuts Transform Single Sheets of Paper into Exquisite Flora and Fauna

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      Art
      Craft

      #animals
      #flowers
      #paper

      November 2, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Pippa Dyrlaga, shared with permission
      Cutting ornate lace patterns, spindly roots, and scaly chameleon skin with meticulous detail, Yorkshire-based artist Pippa Dyrlaga (previously) continues to turn single sheets of paper into elaborate works. Her process involves drawing a design that typically features a floral motif before slicing each component by hand with a scalpel. Once the excess paper is removed, the resulting works unveil intricate patches of wildflowers and painstakingly sliced fur and fins.
      Dyrlaga’s works will be included in an exhibition in Paris next month, and she’s in the midst of a collaborative project with origami artist Ankon Mitra. To add one of her exquisitely cut pieces to your collection, check out her shop, and dive into her process on Instagram.

      #animals
      #flowers
      #paper

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      12,000 Sheets of Wrinkled Rice Paper Drape Around a Monumental Installation by Zhu Jinshi

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      Art

      #bamboo
      #installation
      #paper
      #sculpture

      October 15, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters. All images courtesy of the artist and Pearl Lam Galleries, shared with permission
      More than 12,000 sheets of delicate Xuan paper form the ruffled exterior of Zhu Jinshi’s suspended “Boat” sculpture. The renowned artist, who’s currently living and working in his hometown of Beijing, is widely regarded for pioneering Chinese abstract art, and this monumental installation from 2015 is a reflection of his conceptual, meditative practice.
      Spanning 18 meters long and seven meters wide, “Boat” is comprised of wrinkled paper layers draped around bamboo frames. Countless thin cotton threads hold the individual components in place and intersect the curved, tunnel-like form with straight lines that extend vertically to the ceiling. Bisected with a central space for viewers to pass through, the metaphorical work considers the passage of time and space and is an extension of Zhu’s 2007 installation “Wave of Materials” (shown below), which features a single, halved form anchored to the gallery floor with stones.
      The artist is exhibiting at West Bund Art and Design 2021 next month and is opening a solo in Shanghai at the end of the year. Until then, explore an archive of his works at Pearl Lam Galleries and on Artsy.

      “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
      Detail of “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
      Detail of “Boat” (2015), Xuan (rice) paper, bamboo, cotton threads, 18 x 7 meters
      “Wave of Materials” (2007), Xuan paper, cotton thread, bamboo, and stones
      “Wave of Materials” (2007), Xuan paper, cotton thread, bamboo, and stones

      #bamboo
      #installation
      #paper
      #sculpture

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