Art

#Netherlands #paper #sculpture

Delicate Paper Sculptures Suspended in Mid-Air by Peter Gentenaar

May 17, 2014

Johnny Waldman

Peter Gentenaar (1)

From limitations come creativity. It’s an age-old adage that’s been repeated in almost every industry. And it rings true for the Netherland-based artist Peter Gentenaar, whose billowing paper sculptures were born out of what he couldn’t do with commercial paper. As a printmaker, Gentenaar’s search for a better type of paper led him to an unexpected process of creating his own custom beater that processes and mills long-fiber paper pulp into the material he now uses in his artwork. “My sculptures start as totally 2-dimensional,” says Gentenaar, describing the process in which his organic forms come to life. As the wet pulp dries around the bamboo framework it begins to shrink and curl, “just as a leaf when it drys.”

The resulting sculptures—massive, yet delicate—seem to resemble underwater organisms gracefully floating in water. The pieces are then suspended in mid-air in sprawling spaces like churches. His latest, completed last month, is on display above the main restaurant at Hotel Indigo St. Petersburg. (via My Modern Met)

Peter Gentenaar (2)

Peter Gentenaar (3)

Peter Gentenaar (4)

Peter Gentenaar (5)

Peter Gentenaar (6)

Peter Gentenaar (7)

Peter Gentenaar (8)

Peter Gentenaar (9)

Peter Gentenaar (10)

gentennar-1

Peter Gentenaar (14)

#Netherlands #paper #sculpture

 

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