While we’ve seen our share of paper cut art, we’ve never seen anything as grandiose as this. Tomoko Shioyasu takes huge sheets of synthetic paper and carefully and repeatedly cuts away at it. Using utility knives and soldering irons, she meticulously chisels the paper until she creates intricately carved patterns or swirling designs.
Look closely and you’ll notice a natural rhythm and flow to her work. Shioyasu takes inspiration from rocks, trees, water channels and cells, focusing on the essence and roots of life in its most basic form.
One of her most recently completed pieces is called Vortex (as seen above). The floor to ceiling tapestry is currently on display at the Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Japanese Art at Japan Society in New York. If you’re interested in seeing contemporary Japanese art beyond the cutesy Hello Kitty-craze, you’ll want to check this show out. It features sixteen emerging and mid-career artists whose art meld traditional styles with challenging visions of Japan’s troubled present and uncertain future.
The show opens today, March 18th, and ends on June 12th. If you’re in New York, make sure to check it out!
Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Japanese Art
Photos via [Colossal]