“Some magic is a trick; hold a card this way to palm it and it disappears. You practice and get good at it. Other magic is a long game; the needle does go through the hand, you bury a card and wait 10 years. This is the long game.” Matthew Shlian is an artist and paper engineer, innovating in the field of contemporary origami through folds, compressions and extrapolations. His work extends from drawings and large-scale installations to collaborations with leading researchers and scientists, including macro level paper-folding structures, which are then translated to the nanoscale. These intriguing works – boasting complex diagrams and cut patterns – vary massively from piece to piece, with pleats constructed through acid-free archival paper, needle points and PVA glue. Unfolding brings together a decade of work, lessons in curiosity and geometry, published by Thames & Hudson. mattshlian.com | thamesandhudson.com

Image Credits:
1. Ara 312, (40.5 × 40.5 × 1.25 cm), 98 lb (160 gsm) blue Canson paper (2019). © Matthew Shlian.
2. Omoplata, 66 × 66 × 2.5 cm, 100 lb text (150 gsm) white paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.3. Unholy 62 (detail), 122 × 122 × 10 cm, 80 lb text (120 gsm) iridescent sapphire paper (2018) © Matthew Shlian.
4. Omoplata 11, 45.5 × 45.5 × 2.5 cm, turquoise paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.
5. P16 Unholy 92 (Open your eyes and close your hands) (detail), 122 × 122 × 10 cm, gouache on 100 lb text (150 gsm) white paper (2018) © Matthew Shlian.
6. Omoplata 5 (detail) 42 × 24 × 2 in (106.5 × 61 × 5 cm), lithography gradient on Somerset paper (2019) © Matthew Shlian.
7. Omoplata, 63.5 × 76 × 2.5 cm, indigo paper (2019). © Matthew Shlian.