Netherlands based artist Peter Gentenaar works with paper to create huge, undulating sculptures. These enormous, but delicate, sculptures grew from Peter’s initial work as a printmaker. When working on engravings, he often found that commercial paper wasn’t thick enough for his engravings. He then began to experiment with making his own paper and learned that by using a specific method of beating the pulp, creating sheets with thin ribs of bamboo, and then allowing the pulp to dry, the shrinking of the pulp pulls the bamboo ribs in such a way as to create these rolling, unique sculptures. In developing his artistic process, Peter even built his own equipment to achieve the results he wanted.
I love the free from element to Peter’s work. The pieces remind me of sea creatures; very graceful and eloquent. They have magnificent scale, but are delicate and feminine in a way that is really pretty. The way color is integrated into the sculptures is just striking.
Many of Peter’s sculptures are suspended from the ceiling; others are free standing or hung on a wall. His work can be see all over Europe as well as in Abu Dhabi. You can see more examples of his work on his website.
