Focus on art: Peter Callesen
This is a post I’ve been meaning to make ever since I first stumbled upon the work of Peter Callesen. They’re just a little step up from my ‘people paper chains’ of days gone by. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Closet, 2006 - acid free A4 80gsm paper and glue
Closet, 2006 (detail)
Do Not Enter, 2006 - acid free A4 115gsm paper and glue
Do Not Enter, 2006 (detail)
Down the River, 2005 - acid free A4 80gsm paper and glue
Down the River, 2005 (detail)
The Short Distance Between Time and Shadow, 2005 - acid free A4 80gsm paper and glue
Angel, 2006 - acid free A4 115gsm paper and glue
Angel, 2006 (detail)
Half Way Through, 2006 - acid free A4 115gsm paper and glue
Half Way Through, 2006 (detail)
Looking Back, 2006 - acid free A4 115gsm paper and glue
These pieces are a selection from Peter Callesen’s A4 Paper Cut series.
Peter has this to say:
My paper works have lately been based around an exploration of the relationship between two and three dimensionality. I find this materialization of a flat piece of paper into a 3D form almost as a magic process - or maybe one could call it obvious magic, because the process is obvious and the figures still stick to their origin, without the possibility of escaping. In that sense there is also an aspect of something tragic in most of the cuts.
Some of the small paper cuts relate to a universe of fairy tales and romanticism, as for instance “Impenetrable Castle” inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, in which a tin soldier falls in love with a paper ballerina, living in a paper castle. Other paper cuts are small dramas in which small figures are lost within and threatened by the huge powerful nature. Others again are turning the inside out, or letting the front and the back of the paper meet - dealing with impossibility, illusions, and reflections.
I find the A4 sheet of paper interesting to work with, because it probably still is the most common and consumed media and format for carrying information today, and in that sense it is something very loaded. This means that we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper.
By removing all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white 80gms A4 paper as a base for my creations, I feel that I have found a material which, on one hand, we all are able to relate to, and which on the other hand is non-loaded and neutral and therefore easier to fill with different meanings. The thin white paper gives at the same time the paper sculptures a fragility which underlines the tragic and romantic theme of the works.
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Someone’s got very steady hands!…
Very Nice cutout work David. Now if I could cut as precisely, it would be awesome :)
Fantastic Find. Definitely enjoyed this one!!
Very thought provoking.
Jeez, this is absolutely AMAZING! Thanks for sharing!
[...] post on Creative Design to check out is The fragile magic of paper . I now have title envy. [...]
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Wow, that work is insane! I wish I had that much talent.
When I saw Richard Sweeney’s work, it reminded me of this article you did. I thought I’d add another comment and tell you about him. There’s also a book called Sliceforms, if you want to learn how to walk the fine line between math and art. Check out Jen Stark, too, another paper artist. All I can say is WOW!! And it seems she’s only been doing this since 2001.
I hope it wasn’t too difficult finding this older article of mine.
Nah, wasn’t hard because I knew what I was looking for and I remembered you had mentioned it in the poster cutouts article. I just went there and found the link :)
wow I envy u…all that from one piece of paper. I wonder how your entire gallery looks like in rl. ^^
wow…..it could not be more simple and genius!!!!
“over the edge”
am truly amaze!!!!