Paper sculpture is an artwork, in which, the artist combines or shapes different types of paper. Most of the popular sculptures in modern or contemporary art are created using metal, ceramics, stone, and other materials. They make sure that the artwork survives for a longer period of time. Creating a sculpture out of paper is a much difficult and complicated process. 

This is because the artist has to make sure that the artwork is stable and permanent. Paper requires a special approach, as it is a softer material for making sculptures. It also requires a great deal of patience and precision. One of the several forms of paper sculpture is origami. It is the art of folding paper, which is associated with Japanese culture. 

However, there is a big difference between paper sculptures and origami. Paper sculptures are made using several pieces of paper, whereas origami uses only one. In such types of sculptures, paper is not only the object but also the subject. Everything else is just tools. Many sculptors have used paper as a material in their art over the years. 

Usually, they combine paper with a stronger material, such as wood and metal. One of these sculptors is Pablo Picasso. He created many sculptures with paper as a material, but it was used as a decorative element. There are many fascinating sculptures that have been created using only paper. Here are some of them:

1. Magic Circle

Rogan Brown is one of the prominent contemporary artists who explore organic growth and natural architecture. He uses paper as his main sculpture material. It is cut using a scalpel knife. At times, it takes several months to complete the process of creating a single piece. 

Rogan Brown is known for mixing science and art. Among his most famous works of art is Magic Circle. It reflects patterns that occur naturally in microbes, coral, and bacteria.

2. Vortextural

This fabulous piece of paper sculpture was created by Jen Stark. It is distinct and can be recognized easily for its use of attributes that are cyclical and colourful. Jen is a contemporary artist from the United States, known for her fantastic paper sculptures. 

She is known for creating sculptures that mimic intricate colours and patterns of nature. They also explore the ideas of infinity and replication. Most of her works of art are multi-coloured. They are a reflection of her desire to represent nature’s richness in her sculptures.

3. Bust of Michelangelo’s David

One of the most famous paper sculptors in the world, Li Hongbo uses paper and glue in his creations. He glues together thousands of individual sheets to make stunning artworks. Li builds blocks of paper, which he then carves into human figures and objects. 

Among his globally renowned works are the replicas of Italian and Greek busts. One such example is the bust of Michelangelo’s David. It can be easily mistaken for a porcelain replica of a famous sculpture. It is only by close scrutiny that one realizes that the sculpture has been made entirely out of paper.

4. No Titled (Troublehead)

Peter Callesen is a Danish artist known for his great paper-cut artworks. He is also well-known for his paper sculptures. He usually creates his sculptures using A4 sheets of paper. The reason is that this type of paper is the widely used medium of information today. 

Peter shows all the potentials of paper as a material for creating art through his sculptures. Among his popular works is No Titled (Troublehead). It features a head created out of sentences cut out from a diary.