In Ryan Villamael’s paper sculptures, cityscapes and military structures protrude out of books. The artist rummaged through shops and garage sales to find wartime books that serve as the foundation for these creations. Elsewhere, the artist has created paper installation that resemble organic matter, rather than manmade weaponry and vessels.
“These are broken open to reveal something other than the text written inside, contain structures that are visually precarious, but simultaneously persistent and insistent in their desire to break away from what often feels like propaganda,” a statement says. “The rebuilt ruins look like they’re trying to escape; they’re the truths that refuse to be buried in narratives that others have written and made up. The books exist to say one thing, often from the perspective of the victors, but Villamael’s structures, which are made from photographic evidence of what transpired, exist to say something else that’s true.”
See more of his installation work below.
