‘Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami’ Redifines Edges at the Japanese American National Museum

Rachael McDonald

The ancient Japanese art of origami is perhaps best known as a delicate and decorative way of folding paper into three-dimensional shapes; images of cranes of various sizes or small stars are conjured within the mind’s eye for many of us. While the roots of the tradition of origami likely lie in Shinto purification rituals as well as gifts amongst the Japanese nobility, the nearly 1,000-year-old practice is widespread in a variety of forms around the world. Origami, as we know it today, is regularly accredited to the work of 20th-century artist Akira Yoshizawa, who developed new and alluring designs as well as the widely used system for documenting the different folds, which has maintained its position as the standard for us today. In the world of Post Modern Art, however, origami has come to take on a new form; large-scale installations, sculptures and more conceptual works have evolved within the field.

The Japanese American National Museum is hosting a traveling exhibit encompassing the work of nine renowned international artists and masters of the fold who have pushed the boundaries of origami and delivered it into a new dimension of global art. This summer, “Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami” presents large-scale and profoundly elegant origami installations and sculptures that celebrate a diversity of contemporary ideas ranging from the social to political and aesthetic. Crafted with precision and patience, the practice of origami naturally cultivates a state of meditative awareness; the multifaceted techniques brought to life within these folds of paper and other materials push the limits of the levels of mindfulness, which can be evoked through witnessing the carefully and elegantly constructed forms. Techniques including folded digital prints, mathematical theorems and large and complex geometric forms are artfully implemented to create this larger than life origami experience. “Above the Fold” facilitates an expansion of our understanding of the art form on a grand scale while remaining intricately rooted in the smaller-scale traditional origami practice.

“Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami” will be on view from May 29 – Aug. 21 at Japanese American National Museum.