Nahoko Kojima’s Monumental Yet Poetic Paper Sculptures

The artist reinvents ‘kirigami’, the art of cutting paper, in her colossal pieces that give off a captivating sense of fragility.

01.05.2019

WordsManon Baeza

Courtesy of solokojima.com

Known for her many sculptures of flowers and animals, Nahoko Kojima, born in 1981, is reinventing kirigami, the art of cutting paper. Using techniques that are unique to her, she transforms washi (a type of artisanal Japanese paper) into an impressive polar bear that’s three metres tall, or a 32-metre-long whale.

This life-size whale, unveiled at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in September 2018, catches the gaze particularly due to Kojima’s attention to detail: the whole surface is covered with complex patterns that demonstrate Nahoko Kojima’s dexterity. The immense sculpture made from cut paper therefore appears, in spite of its size, to float just above the ground.

 

Nahoko Kojima’s work can be viewed on her website.

Courtesy of solokojima.com

Courtesy of solokojima.com

Courtesy of solokojima.com

Courtesy of solokojima.com

Courtesy of solokojima.com