Ferri Garcès

Paper sculptor

©Ferri Garces

©Victoria Baron

Big pictures from tiny structures

Ferri models paper into tiny, assembled sculptures
She uses various types of traditional paper
Nature and organic shapes are her main inspiration

Ferri Garcès tells us about her poetic world through the art of paper. Originally from Iran, she studied Fine Arts in Paris, and first started her career as a graphic and textile designer. But it is through paper that she really found the means to express her creativity with complete freedom. Since 2000, Ferri has been exploring the transformative power of this material. From folding to pleating, her expertise lies in the meticulous gestures she has perfected to shape paper into small structures. She crafts small folds, just like miniature sculptures, and multiplies them to form a whole. Ferri uses different types of specific raw paper, which she delicately colours with ink to underline a subtle interplay of light and texture.

Interview

©Shirin Garces

©Victoria Baron

Do you remember when you first thought of working with paper?: In 2000, I stopped working as a textile designer and discovered traditional papers from many parts of the world. That is when I got the idea of working with all kinds of paper. As well as washi and handcrafted papers from the Himalayas, I have also worked with bible paper, tracing paper, and recycled printed paper such as telephone directories.
What types of paper do you work with today?: I use different types, like tracing paper, Mulberry paper or washi paper. Not all papers are suitable for my work. For my sculptural pieces, the paper has to be thin, solid yet flexible. Some papers simply cannot withstand twisting and folding.
How are tradition and innovation reflected in your work?: My work is a continuation of the paper-making tradition. From the European 'paperolles' of the 17th century to the thousand-year-old paper-working tradition of Korean and Japanese artists. For me, innovation lies essentially in the creation of new forms.
What was one of your most memorable moments in your craft career?: The emotion I felt, for the first time, when hanging one of my works in a gallery. After a long period of work, to be able to contemplate it freed from its creative context and detached from me was very moving. I went from being a creator to being a spectator.

Ferri Garcès is an expert artisan she began her career in 2000