Crystal Wagner creates colossal paper installations that interact with their surroundings, making for a sci-fi experience. Her paper sculptures look to be climbing on walls and sprawling across floors – an alien life form that seems to have a mind of its own.
Combining 2D and 3D art, her installations have been exhibited extensively across the U.S and elsewhere. Wagner’s unique approach to paper has also lead to commercial work, with collaborations including a large-scale installation for The Flaming Lips; an installation piece for NIKE; and two installations for Viacom, one of which is a 117 ft piece at their headquarters in Times Square.
“Installation work is just drawing in space,” Wagner noted in an interview with Juxtapoz. “For me, it is important that I am comfortable with my visual vocabulary.” But a drawing in space requires time and much effort. “Each installation and each drawing is a different conversation I am having,” she says. “The gesture is the introduction, the first impression, and everything else tumbles out.”
“Every ink drawing I do helps me understand how I organize marks, situate shapes, and is an extension of the way I see,” she further explains. “The only difference I feel when I am working on large installations is that instead of alluding to space, I get to utilize it. Which to me… is awesome!”
The result is indeed awesome. Take a look for yourself.
