The Distance Within Us

Michael Velliquette has spent over twenty years crafting elaborate paper sculptures entirely by hand. Each individual work is meticulously done with scissors, an Exacto knife, bone folders, or leather punches. On average, Velliquette dedicates hundreds of hours to cutting, arranging, gluing and assembling each paper sculpture. He employs imagery that speaks to universal human experiences – stars, hands, hearts, eyes, teardrops, flowers, human profiles, and other anthropomorphic features. The completed works stand as much as art objects as they are a testament to the act of making, concentrating, and being.  

Velliquette has said that paper is “at once humble and transformative.” Transitory, impermanent, and easy to use, paper is familiar to every single viewer. What is unfamiliar is how Velliquette treats paper, transforming this humble medium into intricate, detailed wonderlands of form, shape, and layering. 

For this exhibition, Velliquette also created eight new powder coated aluminum sculptures that translate the motifs from his paper works into three dimensions. These metal sculptures strip away ornamentation to emphasize his iconic symbols, while the mirror-like surfaces interact playfully with light and the surrounding space. Whether rendered in paper or metal, Velliquette’s art shows the intricacy of craft while opening up opportunities for genuine dialogue to the everyday viewer.  

Michael Velliquette is a leading voice in the contemporary renaissance of paper-based art. His work has been featured in major international exhibitions and is in prominent public and private collections. A frequent lecturer and educator, Velliquette is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

Image Gallery

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