Originally invented in the first century, this omnipresent material continues to be a necessary resource even in this digital age. Letters, notepads, business cards, Post-its, money, utility bills and promotional flyers are all part of our everyday lives. Artists in NextNewPaper examine the numerous properties of this medium, cutting, bending, molding and otherwise manipulating it to create intimately detailed works as well as massive site-specific installations.

Joyce Nojima, Weston Teruya, and Imin Yeh explore ordinary objects such as cash register receipts, electrical outlets, and architectural elements to question our relationship to these ordinary fixtures in our daily lives. Kyong Ae Kim, Michael Buscemi, Amy Oates and Annie Vought meticulously cut paper to construct reliefs and intricate silhouettes that emphasize the play of light and shadow. The sculptures of Jann Nunn and Jacqueline Rush Lee are painstakingly assembled with hundreds of thin sheets of paper resulting in amazingly sturdy structures. Collage, mixed media, and abstract mark-making with ink, coffee, and tea (and sometimes with the help of a robot) are seen in the works of Peter Foucault, Javier Arce, Cynthia Ona Innis, Carolynn Haydu, and Michael Sell. Monica Lundy and Kirk Maxson reference leaves and plants to evoke a sense of place and reflect upon history in their nature-inspired pieces. Julia Anne Goodman examines the concept of intimacy with her newest pulped bed sheet work. With Loren King, the two collaborate to create colorful “brain maps” on hand-made paper. And, Taro Hattori’s monumental site-specific installation made of cardboard bends the dynamics of the medium in awe-inspiring ways.