Hunter Stabler at Kunstraum Richard Sorge: "Sator Square"

Hunter Stabler at Kunstraum Richard Sorge: "Sator Square", originally uploaded by Kunstraum Richard Sorge.

33 x 33 x 8 cm., 2009. Hand-cut(!)

Papercutting by genius "papershaper" Hunter Stabler, from the Strich & Faden Neocraft/Neotrad art exhibition at Kunstraum Richard Sorge, May/June 2009.

About the artist:
Hunter Stabler creates delicate cut paper compositions of elaborate patterning and religious/mythological symbols. His work involves a formal play between the illusion of space, actual physical shadow, and the flat two-dimensions of the paper. Stabler received his BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and his MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been exhibited across the United States. He is a past recipient of the Royal College of London Exchange Program Fellowship, a Yale Norfolk Fellowship, a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, and was selected to collaborate with The Fabric Workshop Museum for the Philagrafika 2008 Invitational Print Portfolio.

About the exhibition:
The folksy German expression "nach Strich und Faden" means to do something thoroughly, with great artistry and precision, or according to the rules of an art or craft. In contemporary language the term has gained connotations of trickery, deceit and travesty: our belief in authenticity has gone. Travesty (in the sense of deceit and role playing) is a device present in many works in this show, either as an artistic attitude, or as a subject matter. The participating artists use it to subvert both the traditions of Art & Crafts and our expectations of art.

This new edition of Strich und Faden presents outstanding representatives of the thriving US-american Neocraft scene - some of which are shown in Germany (or Europe) for the first time - and presents them alongside their (Eastern) European colleagues. Strich und Faden II goes beyond crafting however, also incorporating conceptual and neo-traditional works on folklore and regionalism.

Photo copyright Hunter Stabler 2009. All rights reserved.