Rivet Gallery in the Short North strives to display art that reflects the entire city of Columbus. While art can be very subjective in the eyes of different viewers, Rivet demonstrates pop culture pieces that can be enjoyed by the average patron.
This winter Rivet Gallery is holding a paper art exhibit called “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This exhibit showcases paper toy art by 29 artists from 11 different countries and was co-curated by Matthew Hawkins, a papercraft artist who has traveled around the world with his exhibit.
Rivet owner Laura Kuenzli originally decided to display “Rock, Paper, Scissors” last year when Hawkins was visiting Rivet’s S.P.A.C.E. exhibition. He introduced Kuenzli to his own exhibit that was traveling to places such as Japan, the Netherlands and other areas around the U.S. at the time.
“This exhibit contains an under layer of geekery so it is bringing out the nerdcore comic junkies, individuals appreciative of design concept and those who love art and do not have a preconceived notion of what art should be,” Kuenzli said.
Each of Rivet’s past exhibitions has always reflected an obscure expression of art. The majority of the gallery’s collections includes a taste of the abnormal and encourages viewers to see a different aspect of the definition of art.
“The construction of paper art seems to require a sound mind, understanding of design concept to reach the desired aesthetic and a steady hand with an X-Acto [blade],” Kuenzli said.
“Rock, Paper, Scissors” is a collection of intricate paper toys. These elaborate creations are more than just origami; they are tiny paper designs that tell various stories about abstract characters, from monkeys sitting on the moon to driving dogs to gnomes visiting outer space.
Each unique piece from the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” collection is being sold at Rivet, as this is the last stop for the exhibit. Rivet is also selling the book “Urban Paper”, by Hawkins, which contains 25 paper templates that allow anyone to create their own paper toys. There are also paper kits by different artists for sale.
“Rock, Paper, Scissors” opened Jan. 2, and will run until Jan. 31. Rivet’s upcoming show is called “Uber Cute” and will feature wooden sculptures, customized toys as well as illustrations by Daniel Elson, Okkle, Heidi Kenney and Bukubuku. It will be open from Feb. 6 until Feb. 28.
