“All That Glitters Is Gold”
The illuminated paper sculptures of artist duo Hari Panicker and Deepti Nair (aka Hari & Deepti) are a marvel to look at. Light spills through meticulously hand-cut forms, casting shadows that feel as intentional as the structures themselves. But linger a little longer, and it becomes clear that these works are not just about visual wonder, they are meditations on memory, migration, and the quiet value of what is often overlooked.
Their latest body of work, All That Glitters Is Gold, unfolds as a series of glowing, layered worlds where paper acts as both surface and substance. Light animates each scene from within, revealing depth through translucency rather than mass. The result is a sculptural language that feels delicate, yet intensely cinematic.
The title itself emerged unexpectedly during the duo’s travels. While visiting a small market in Mexico, a brief exchanged with a vender selling an antique locket yielded a translated phrase that would ultimately anchor the entire exhibition. “The title for our show, All That Glitters Is Gold, came to us accidentally,” they explain. “In that moment it felt like a quiet testament. It reframed everything around us.”
Rather than invoking surface-level beauty, the phrase took on a deeper meaning, one that is rooted in lived experience. “In a world moving too quickly to sit back and notice the subtle, the phrase reminded us that human experiences, emotions, and shared histories are valuable,” they say. “Everything that comes from life—our rituals, our migrations, our grief, our joy—is gold.”
This sensibility permeates the work. As children of immigrants and immigrants themselves, Hari and Deepti approach their practice as both participants and observers of the world around them. Their sculptures do not aim for resolution but instead exist as a process. It becomes an ongoing effort to reflect, reconnect, and remember. Light becomes a metaphor for attention, illuminating what might otherwise fade into the background.
Paper, their primary material, plays a central role in this exploration. Often dismissed as delicate or temporary, it becomes, in their hands, a material capable of holding emotional and cultural weight. “Paper is brutal in its simplicity,” they admit. “It is both skin and skeleton. It demands attention and can be molded, carved, sculpted, and cut.”
Light is not merely an accessory but an equal collaborator. The interaction between the two materials allows the sculptures to shift depending on viewpoint, time of day, and proximity, reinforcing the idea that meaning itself is never static.
Narratively, the works balance intimacy with expansiveness. Each scene begins in sketchbooks, through writing and drawing, before evolving organically during the cutting process. Some forms emerge intuitively, while others take shape only once paper meets blade. Their inspirations span folklore, film, music, and travel, but the work has gradually turned inward. “It has become more introspective,” they explain, “an attempt to capture who we are, where we come from, and what we feel.”
In All That Glitters Is Gold, light does more than reveal form. It becomes a vessel for empathy, memory, and attention. Through paper’s quiet resilience and light’s ephemeral glow, Hari and Deepti ask viewers to slow down, to notice and to reconsider where value truly resides. In doing so, they remind us that what glitters most brightly is often what we’re most at risk of overlooking.
To see more and stay up to date with the artistic duo, you can follow Hari & Deepti on Instagram.
Hari & Deepti create visually compelling illuminated paper sculptures.
“Tapestry of Life”
“Tapestry of Life” (detail, lit)
“Tapestry of Life” (detail, unlit)
Each piece emerges from sketches, travel memories, and shared experiences, blending external inspiration with introspective storytelling.
“The Land That Holds Us” (unlit and lit)
“The Land That Holds Us” (lit)
“The Land That Holds Us” (detail, lit)
The meticulous process highlights subtle changes in light, texture, and environment, turning paper cutting into a meditative act of attention and care.
“Do You Miss the Stars”
“Tales the Wind Told Us 01”
“Tales the Wind Told Us 01” (lit)
“Tales the Wind Told Us 02” (lit)
“The Dust That Measures All Our Time 01”
“All That Glitters Is Gold”