Kaelie Kwah - Paper Artist

Trained in Horticulture, I had always dreamt of becoming an artist since childhood. Drawing was my passion since young, with sketches done using mainly in charcoal pencil on paper. My passion for drawing came to a complete stop as I pursued a degree in Agriculture rather than Fine Arts. Working in the Agriculture and Landscape field for nearly 12 years, I decided to rekindle my love for the arts after marriage.

It all started with that ‘Something Blue’ as my wedding bouquet which I created for myself in 2012. Using my background and knowledge of the flora, I took a different turn to creating more botanical paper art form that began my new direction in working with paper.

I never see paper as merely a flat and limited medium, but rather something that I see and feel in a 3-dimensional manner. My concept of a papercut is not simply cutting out holes on a plane of paper, but more of reforming it and bending it to my imagination.

I am interested in expressing my emotions through the medium of manipulating a piece of humble paper. It is my means of escape while also in conveying my thoughts and expressing my feelings. Every piece and detail in my art are never planned as I let each moment and emotion lead me to the next step in the process of creating. I perceive my art as very extemporaneous - the next step being unpredictable as the one before it. It is a manifestation of both the technique I was exploring and the reaction to events surrounding me at that time.

Both light and shadow play an essential role in my work, as against a white plane they can both be easily manipulated, thereby enabling one with an ever-changing perception of how one sees or interprets the art. Working with paper has let me translate my imagination into limitless shapes and possibilities. I had experimented not just on static works but also pieces of fashion that expresses movement and dynamism.