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Spoke Art is pleased to present Paper Cuts, a group show featuring eleven dynamic paper-cut artists from around the globe, curated by Jessica Ross. Showcasing a versatile range of artists working exclusively in paper, the exhibition explores the different ways in which each artist handles the medium. 

Simplistic in form, paper can be transformed in many ways, from abstracted structures to figurative illustrations, making it unique in it’s execution while remaining simplistic in it’s base material. Largely seen as a style of craft art, Paper Cuts seeks to investigate the intersection between fine art and crafts.

Paper serves as a kind of nostalgic vehicle, transporting oneself back to an era of craft time and hands-on art making, akin to finger painting. This kind of primal activity is carried over into the works of these fine artists with incredible precision and elegance. Using a medium so minimal, paper grants a kind of boundless potential in it’s ability to transform. In order to gain form and subject, the artist is forced to destroy or rather subtract in order to generate their art, a kind of reverse process for most artists. Elements of light, shadow and color all play immense roles in the manifestation of the work. Artists such as Hari & Deepti play with ideas of space and depth in their meticulously layered light boxes while the works of Meghan Stratman gravitate towards a more illustrative approach. 

One thing is universally true for all the artists, paper cutting is a testament to patience as all the works require a strategic mind and focused ambition that other mediums don’t necessarily require. Mapping out paper and structuring it to your needs takes not only time but incredible endurance. The intensely ornate works of Elaine Penwell are proof of such self restraint. Paper Cuts strives to not only survey these contrasting artists but also analyze the enigmatic art of paper cutting as a whole. Paper Cuts opens May 3rd and is on view until May 24th. 

Participating artists include: 
Megan Stratman, Hari & Deepti, Ryan De La Hoz, Kevin Jay Stanton, Elaine Penwell, Sarah Dennis, Yulia Brodskaya, Charles Clary, Crowded Teeth and Dan Jaffe.