Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami

“To most, the real beauty of origami lies in its simplicity, allowing everyone to create their interpretation of the world in paper.”

– Vanessa Gould, director, Between the Folds

“Even DNA is folded—you and I are born from folding”

– Paul Jackson, Above the Fold artist

Above the Fold is the first traveling exhibition to bring origami installations from around the world to North American audiences. Paper is transformed into breathtaking sculpture, large-scale installations and conceptual works that express contemporary social, political, and aesthetic ideas.

Nine international artists—Erik Demaine and Martin Demaine (Canada/USA), Vincent Floderer (France), Miri Golan (Israel), Paul Jackson (UK/Israel), Dr. Robert J. Lang (USA), Yuko Nishimura (Japan), Richard Sweeney (UK) and Jiangmei Wu (China/US)—push the boundaries of paper as a medium to create bold, provocative works.

These artists redefine a traditional Japanese craft as a modern global genre, inventing unexpected forms of artistic expression. Their works can be found in the permanent collections of prominent museums such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Exhibition highlights:

  • These nine celebrated master folders comprise a cross-section of contemporary origami artists: they range in age from 29 to 71, hail from four different continents, and work in six different countries.
  • Each artist will create pieces specifically for this tour—their collective works have never been seen before anywhere in the world.
  • Their origami creations present original “above the fold” commentaries on diverse aspects of modern life and art.
  • Six of the artists were featured in Vanessa Gould’s Peabody award-winning documentary film Between the Folds.
  • Vanessa Gould, director of Between the Folds, and all of the Above the Fold artists are available for symposia, lectures, and exhibition-related events at your venue.

Above the Fold was developed by International Arts & Artists and independent curator, author, and educator Meher McArthur, former curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California. McArthur was also the curator of IA&A’s traveling exhibition Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami.

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