Using paper-weaving and kirigami techniques, artist Paola Bazz transforms reclaimed paper into works that reflect the need to live in the present with simplicity, contrasting with the complexity of modern life
Chiara Italia
Curiosity, the ability to see the world with fresh eyes, courage, and the willingness to embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth: this is Paola Bazz an Italian artist with a background in painting, drawing, and architecture. She studied painting and drawing during her formative years and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the IUAV University of Venice (Italy). In 2008, in search of new artistic approaches and moving beyond traditional painting, she began creating artwork using recycled printed paper from magazines, newspapers, and catalogs. In 2010, she decided to leave her career in architecture to focus entirely on creating art on paper.
Her creative process integrates digital technologies and tools, such as paper-cutting machines and scanners, which are combined with traditional craft techniques and non-artistic materials like books and magazines. These technologies not only simplify the creative process but also enhance and expand the artisanal experience, pushing the limits of traditional craftsmanship. The artist creates both 2D and 3D physical collages, starting from a digitally designed concept that is then translated into physical form. Using reclaimed paper allows her to communicate the importance of material reuse and sustainability in all her practices.
Fascinated by this interesting approach, we interviewed her exclusively for Paper Industry World, also to talk about the works she created for the 2024 edition of Lucca Biennale.
Who is Paola Bazz and how do you like to define yourself?
I’m an Italian artist with an architectural background. After graduating in Venice, I practiced architecture for twenty years, while also nurturing my passion for art, painting, and manual work. I currently live and work in Padua, my hometown, where I returned three years ago after living in various Italian and European locations.
I like to define myself as a Paper Artist specializing in three-dimensional collages made with recycled paper from magazines, catalogs, books, and wallpaper samples. I chose paper as my primary expressive medium because of its versatility and the value it takes on in my creative process.
When did you start your artistic journey?
I embarked on this career full-time in 2012 when I moved to Manchester, UK, and decided to permanently leave my career as an architect.
What was your educational background?
I graduated in Architecture and took private painting and applied arts courses. Between 1991 and 2010, I nurtured my passion for painting and drawing alongside my work as an architect, participating in various collective and solo exhibitions in Padua, Milan, and Turin.
Was the choice of paper a “love at first sight”?
Yes, absolutely. Paper is a democratic material, accessible and found in every home. As a child, it was my main play tool, and as an adult, it has become the raw material for my creations. My family instilled in me the importance of reusing and recycling, teaching me to give new life to materials and objects. My studies in architecture, on the other hand, provided me with a design methodology that I apply to my works, allowing me to experiment with innovative solutions.
What are the advantages and challenges of this material?
There are many advantages: it’s easily available, malleable, simple to cut and shape, light yet strong, especially when folded. The only challenge is its low resistance to water and humidity, although these elements can be exploited to give it unexpected forms. Paper continuously challenges me, forcing me to discover new techniques to highlight its properties, balancing its strengths and weaknesses.
Can you describe the paper-weaving and kirigami techniques?
Paper-weaving is inspired by weaving and straw-working: the paper is cut into thin strips and woven according to the weft and warp, or shaped to create three-dimensional structures. Kirigami, on the other hand, is an ancient Japanese technique that combines cutting and folding to create raised shapes from a single sheet.
What type of paper do you use? Do you have specific preferences?
I prefer reclaimed paper, primarily from sources around the world, much of which is donated locally by newsstands, print shops, and individuals. I approach paper with careful consideration of its quality, thickness, and color, using it in innovative ways to create unique pieces, varying the weight and texture depending on the technique used. For example, for origami tessellation (a technique inspired by origami that allows for creating complex and repetitive patterns), I use glossy paper from magazines, while for accordion-style works, I choose thicker paper, similar to that used for covers. For Kirigami, I use cardboard and wallpaper. I carefully select the material and colors based on the desired effect.
What inspires you?
The central themes of my works are time and identity. I am interested in exploring how personal identity changes over time, influenced by social relationships and digital communication. The perception of time, constantly transforming, is also a recurring element in my work. In the past, these concepts were expressed through portraits, while today I prefer to express them in abstract forms.
Which artists have influenced you?
I find the exploration of movement, optical illusions, and techniques that create perceptual instability fascinating in Op Art, as it actively engages the viewer.
What message do you want to convey with your works?
Through the use of recycled paper, I want to invite reflection on the relationship between waste and resource, showing how a material destined for disposal can be transformed into something new.
Printed paper, a medium often used to spread advertising and consumer messages, serves as a lens through which I explore the role of consumption in shaping our identities.
We are what we buy, and consumption serves as a means of self-construction. However, like fashion, products (and by extension, our identities) are fleeting, constantly changing, and temporary. Through my portraits and abstract works, I invite viewers to confront issues that go beyond the immediately visible, raising awareness about our environment, privacy, and identity. With my techniques, I try to stimulate people to question the relativity of perception and how reality changes depending on perspective.
Can you tell us about the work exhibited in Lucca?
In Lucca, I presented two distinct projects: three works from the “Simplexity” series, created with paper-weaving techniques, and the installation “JelloBlooms,” composed of ten paper sculptures. The latter, a result of months of research, reinterprets Kirigami in an innovative way, transforming a simple two-dimensional sheet into a three-dimensional structure through a process that combines craftsmanship, design, and technology.
What is the symbolic meaning of these works?
Both “Simplexity” and “JelloBlooms” explore the concept of balance, contrasting simplicity and complexity. They investigate the dualism between the need to live in the present, with the simplicity of everyday gestures, and the growing complexity of modern society, which pushes us to plan for the future or retreat into the past. Both series are made with reclaimed paper from magazines, catalogs, and books, emphasizing the theme of transformation. The works have generated great interest for their originality, especially the “JelloBlooms” installation.
What are your current projects?
I am working on various commissions for private clients and institutions. At the same time, I wish to continue my artistic research, continuing to experiment with the infinite possibilities offered by paper.