Cooper Union to Host Incredible Origami Exhibition With World’s Best Paper Artists

Sarah Cascone May 11, 2014 ShareShare This Article

Curator Uyen Nguyen's <em>Sokki Bloom</em>, one of the incentives for the fundraising campaign for Cooper Union's "Surface to Surface." Photo: courtesy Indiegogo.

Curator Uyen Nguyen’s Sokki Bloom, one of the incentives for the fundraising campaign for Cooper Union’s “Surface to Surface.” Photo: courtesy Indiegogo.

New York’s Cooper Union is preparing for an exhibit of work by 80 contemporary origami artists, reports Colossal. “Surface to Structure: Folded Forms” will bring together work from five continents that pushes the limits of what can be created by folding paper.

The college has a history with the medium: in 1959, it hosted the United States’ first origami exhibition, “Plane Geometry and Fancy Figures,” featuring artwork by Akira Yoshizawa, Robert Harbin, Robert Neale, and Ligia Montoya, among others. The upcoming show, which will include origami from some of those who participated 55 years ago, will mark the art form’s first appearance at Cooper Union since the 1959 exhibit.

Ronald Koh, origami folded by Ng Boon Choon. Photo: via Colossal.

Exhibition curator Uyen Nguyen has launched a Indiegogo campaign to help cover the shipping costs for the work and other related expenses. The show will feature 120 paper pieces, most of which are from artists overseas, and will need to be insured to protect against damage incurred in transit. Special pedestals, shelving and framing units will also have to be constructed for display purposes.