By folding paper into these rhythmic and repetitive sculptures, artist Matthew Shlian gives patterns of life and motion to an otherwise flat form. Describing himself as a paper engineer, Shlian says, “I begin with a system of folding and at a particular moment the material takes over. Guided by wonder, my work is made because I cannot visualize its final realization; in this way I come to understanding through curiosity.”
In many of his creations, there is an illusion of movement as the viewer’s eye quickly travels back and forth throughout the piece. In this tangible art form, Shlian creates all kinds of geometric forms in a very malleable and unpredictable process. He says that part of the fun in creating these pieces is not actually being able to visualize exactly what the final product will look like. As Shlian gets into a zone of folding, these gorgeous and complicated sculptures emerge from his skilled paper folding techniques.
