Paper Cuts

September 14 - October 7, 2023

Elza Kalal Gallery

368 Broadway, Suite 409, New York, NY

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 14, 6-8pm

Please RSVP: info@elzakayal.com

Featuring work by

Heather Cox - Jaynie Gillman Crimmins - Samuelle Green - Mia Pearlman

Paper cutting, also known as Jianzhi in China, is an ancient art form that has been practiced for over 2,000 years. Its origins can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) in China, where it was used for decorative purposes in religious ceremonies and festivals. Over time, various cultures developed their own unique styles and techniques but the basic principles of paper cutting remained the same.

Cutting paper can transcend the physical act, which requires patience, precision, and creativity. It can become a meditative practice that allows for self-expression and reflection. It is a practice with intention. The artists of Paper Cuts produce a dazzling array of effects using repetition and limited methods of construction and materials.

Heather Cox creates precisely crafted objects that involve repetition and shifting scale. This body of work uses found photographs, staples and glue. Each snapshot is cut into small circles, leaving only glimpses of the original image. The resulting collages create pointillistic 2D and 3D constellations that occupy walls, ceilings and shelves - a series of glossy micro-memories that, when read in concert, create whole new recollections.

Jaynie Crimmins' work dismantles and transforms images, words, and printed patterns from mass marketing catalogs, magazines, and security envelopes. Shredding these materials breaks down their physical and ascribed composition, allowing her to re-contextualize their original messages into personal, domestic, and cultural narratives. The work is informed by the Pattern and Decoration Movement, craft traditions, and environmentally friendly practices, applying approximate symmetry and meticulous fabrication.

Samuelle Green's organic and intricate structural work is made out of thousands of pages cut from books, hand-rolled and fixed into a sculpted wire mesh. Referencing repetitive patterns found in objects we encounter regularly: bird and wasp nests, beehives, spider webs, rock formations, anthills, feathers, and countless others - her large scale installations and more intimate work explore the beauty inherent in natural structures.

Mia Pearlman is inspired by weather patterns and other universal forms found in nature - like water, waves, sea creatures and geological formations that transcend language and culture. She cuts paper, allowing each cut to determine the next cut. The end result is work that creates a lexicon of dynamic shapes. Pearlman's paper cutting is an extension of drawing that evolves into sculptural forms.

My newest project Roundels was chosen as a finalist in Klompching Gallery's Fresh 2023 Annual Photography Exhibition which includes an online exhibition and printed catalogue.

Readers, no matter their age or language, will delight in this wordless picture book that follows the journey of a simple circle traveling through colorful landscapes. Adventures await in this vibrant world filled with curious sewing notions and colorful batik fabric. Lush palettes and imaginative backdrops usher us through portals, over hills, and behind curtains: So… is a magically unfamiliar world made of familiar things. Intricately designed by NYC-based artist Heather Cox, this work is at once parable and art-piece, sure to give new voice to your everyday household objects. So… is a story about who we meet, what we acquire, what we discard, and how we are quietly transformed along the way.

Download a Press Release or Press Kit

"So… is an artist’s book by Heather Cox that elegantly animates familiar tools of sewing—thread, scissors, straight pins, bobbins, buttons, fringe, batik—into a visual theater that changes as the reader turns each page. So… is a soundless book which the reader can see, hear, and enjoy."

—Sabra Moore, artist and author of Openings: A Memoir from the Women's Art Movement, New York City 1970-1992

"Works of art in book form have tremendous power to transport their readers to new realms. So, along comes this exuberant work of art by Heather Cox that did just this for me, with exquisite style. So…speaks volumes in only a few pages, with no words at all. It follows the quirky and mysterious trail of a circle who, after many ups and downs and adventuring with someone new, becomes… someone new. The luxurious textile backgrounds tell stories of their own, offering more to discover and delight in at each re-reading. So… is a delightful gift. It is the kind of book that would easily inspire discussion and introspection for all ages. And it left me, just like the circle protagonist, changed. So… what’s better than that?"

—Karen Viola, book artist, KV Artworks