Harikrishnan Panicker and Deepti Nair, two talented artists with unbelievable imagination, have created a whole new body of work, Oh, The Places You Will Go! It features beautiful, hand-cut, back-lit paper sculptures. Their travels near and far have been a great source of inspiration for the artwork — which is part of a new exhibition at Black Book Gallery in Denver.
Panicker and Nair explains Oh, The Places You Will Go below:
“Oh, The Places You Will Go!” is based on our recent travel experiences and inspiration that we have gathered along the way. All of us are explorers and warriors on a path of discovery–from India, New York, Thailand, and Colorado–our trips have been filled with great experiences exploring the unknown. We are fortunate to live in Colorado amidst all the wilderness and amazing places to travel. This summer, our trips included two of our favorite places: Moab, Utah and Yellowstone, Wyoming. The scale and beauty of these places is awe inspiring and we seem so small in comparison. Please join us at our gallery opening as we unveil the magical worlds we have created. The show will be set in the dark – no lights will be on in the gallery with exception of the light emanating from the artwork. Let each one draw you in like moths to a flame.”
“Our paper cut light boxes are intricate, hand cut sculptures and dioramas that focus on story telling. “
Hari and Deepti recently completed a commission for Neil Patrick Harris titled The Magicians Hat. This piece is inspired by the legend, Rabbit in the Moon. It features Neil with his family.
“What amazes us about the paper cut light boxes is the dichotomy of the piece in its lit and unlit state, the contrast is so stark that it has this mystical effect on the viewers.”
Nair and Panicker have infused their paper sculpture concepts with mythology and science fiction. Each piece is lit from behind or below using LED strips. The boxes that house their artwork are exhibited in dark rooms to enhance the effect.
Were you inspired? Got any lovely suggestions for us? Let us know through the comments box below.