Hasta La Ideas

New obsessively process-oriented sculptures by a paper engineer

As teacher, paper engineer and artist Matt Shlian explains on his site, “researchers see paper engineering as a metaphor for scientific principals; I see their inquiry as basis for artistic inspiration.”
His geometric sculptures elegantly reflect this strong connection to the education and scientific communities, exploring the physicality of paper with his curiosity-driven approach.

Creating his work through problem solving and experimentation, Shlian’s deceptively simple aesthetic is the result of meticulous techniques and even more obsessive ideas. While restricting his palate to monochrome shades of white, Shlian’s intricate forms take on the complexity of natural design, suggesting the cellular lattices at the root of biological mechanics.

His new edition “The Process Series” is just that—a trio of works created by delving into the process of layering sheets of paper cut on a flatbed plotter cutter. Limited to an edition of 20 of each, the works sell from the Ghostly Store for $100 a pop.