Dizzying Scrolls of Hand-Colored Paper Form Bas-Relief Sculptures by Hadieh Shafie

Artist Hadieh Shafie uses carefully hand-dyed and rolled paper to form dense surfaces. In some works, each set of concentric circles is an equal depth, creating small planes in the topography of the finished piece. Her ‘Spike’ series features sharp spiraled cones that protrude toward the viewer. In addition to the colorful edging, calligraphy is also incorporated on the paper scrolls. Most recently, Shafie has been adding an additional dimension by dipping the finished scrolls into ink to create the appearance of shadows. The artist describes her process in an artist statement:

On the surface, what the viewer sees are the fore-edges of miniature scrolls made of strips of paper. Using a limited color palette, each strip of paper is dyed with acrylic pigments, and then rolled by hand, one upon another, to create a multitude of color combinations for each emerging scroll. The rolling process places razor thin edges of color closely together, creating a space for the viewer’s eye to blend adjoining colors.

Shafie was born in Tehran, Iran and is currently based in Brooklyn. The artist shares with Colossal that her work is “a visual response to the emancipating effect [of] books and poetry” that she has experienced. Shafie holds two MFA degrees and her work is in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, among others. You can see more of her intricate paper work on her website. (via #WOMENSART)