Peter Callesen: transforming ordinary paper into extraordinary art

Written by Kristen Read Thursday, 11 March 2010 12:54

Many people involved in print see stacks of paper every single day. It is an essential consumable for this industry: we need it, we use it up and then we buy more. Reams, skids and rolls of it. Artist Peter Callesen, however, looks at paper in a new light. He takes sheets of it and transforms it into intricate works of art - without even using ink.

Peter Callesen lives in Denmark, where he has held numerous solo exhibitions. In describing his passion for paper, on his website petercallesen.com he writes:

Lately I have worked almost exclusively with white paper in different objects, paper cuts, installations and performances. A large part of my work is made from A4 sheets of paper. It is probably the most common and consumed media used for carrying information today. This is why we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper. By taking away all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white A4 paper sheet for my creations, I feel I have found a material that we are all able to relate to, and at the same time the A4 paper sheet is neutral and open to fill with different meaning. The thin white paper gives the paper sculptures a frailty that underlines the tragic and romantic theme of my works.

Below are some of Peter's intricate artworks, made out of just paper:

Peter Callesen, White Hand

Peter Callesen, Little Erected Ruin

Peter Callesen, On The Other Side

Peter Callesen, Fall

Peter Callesen, Impenetrable Castle

Peter Callesen, The Short Distance Between Time and Shadow

Peter Callesen, Fire Escape Unable to Escape Fire

2 comments

  • Comment Link Martha White Monday, 15 March 2010 11:29 posted by Martha White

    Absolutely exceptional! I definitely recommend for everyone to check out his website if you have a few spare minutes - many more beautiful works of art to see there.

  • Comment Link Garth MacIsaac Monday, 15 March 2010 11:32 posted by Garth MacIsaac

    I think I'd go cross-eyed or blind after all that ridiculously intricate cutting! Really cool artwork though.

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