When Japanese artist [Katsumi Hayakawa](http://katsumihayakawa.com/top.html) finishes his incredible paper installation, we imagine his hands covered in duct tape and several trash cans crowning with crumpled paper balls. His latest work, _Void and Solid_,is a floating, multi-layered architectural cityscape that's entirely hand-made from paper cut-outs.

The project, which displayed at [Yusto/Giner](http://yusto-giner.com) gallery in Spain alongside other hand-crafted work, includes only one type of paper and one color, yielding a ghostly city that floats just a few feet off the ground. The delicate installation is meshed together so every piece looks uniform and requires the viewer to get extremely close to notice the subtle differences between "buildings." The imperfections of the human hand become almost a hidden easter egg, if you can pick out the subtleties. It's a modest yet intricate investigation into architectural density and space.

Writes the [gallery description](http://yusto-giner.com/exhibitions/untitled0/overview/):

_Katsumi Hayakawa explores diverse notions related to space and perspective. His architectural sculptures made out of varying paper densities represent the man-made structures that cover the earth's surface, through which man(kind) loses sight of himself. These architectural, urban conglomerations have progressively become more uniform and compact and are testament to a solidification process that is slowly squeezing humanity out of the picture._

See more of Hayakawa&#x2019;s paper mastery below, including a video documenting how he designs the structures:

Primera exposición individual de Katsumi Hayakawa en España, VOID and SOLID, a new way of worldmaking,
En esta muestra, Hayakawa presenta una nueva serie de pinturas, dibujos, esculturas de papel y dos instalaciones que han sido especialmente realizadas para el espacio. además de examinar el impacto de la densidad arquitectónica, su trabajo mantiene una
delicadeza natural y respeto por el material que configura sus obras.
Hayakawa explora la experiencia del mirar como fenómeno. Sus esculturas arquitectónicas en cartón representan todas las estructuras construidas por el hombre, en las que este se pierde de vista a sí mismo; conglomeraciones urbanas de
arquitectura cada vez más uniforme en las que el ser humano no es lo importante.
Tan destacable es la minuciosidad con la que el artista japonés es capaz de cortar, doblar y pegar minúsculas piezas de papel, como su capacidad para crear con ellas composiciones tridimensionales con una carga conceptual y emocional, que nos trasladan al corazón de cualquier mega ciudad moderna en la que la presencia del ser humano se contrae y donde la funcionalidad es lo que cuenta.
El paralelismo entre el plano de una ciudad moderna y la placa base de un ordenador queda patente en las composiciones del artista. En estos paisajes urbanos Hayakawa construye un complejo apilando pequeñas estructuras que no son más que cubos
de papel ensamblados con pegamento, donde la transparencia nos permite vislumbrar el vacío y percibir, en palabras del artista "la ausencia de existencia, la ausencia de la nada y la ausencia de ausencia."

Katsumi Hayakawa's first solo exhibition in Spain, VOID and SOLID, a new way of worldmaking.
In this exhibition, Hayakawa, presents a new series of paper works, paintings and drawings as well as two site-specific installations. While examining the impact of architectural density, the pieces maintain the delicate nature of the material at hand.
Hayakawa explores diverse notions related to space and perspective. His architectural sculptures made out of varying paper densities represent the man-made structures that cover the earth's surface, through which man(kind) loses sight of himself. These architectural, urban conglomerations have progressively become more uniform and compact and are testament to a solidification process that is slowly squeezing humanity out of the picture.
Painstakingly hand-crafted, the artist's attention to detail is inherent in his ability to cut, fold and adhere minute pieces of paper, as well as his capacity to build three-dimensional compositions with them.
These volumes carry a conceptual and emotional weight capable of transporting us to the heart of any modern mega-metropolis, where human presence dwindles while functionality reigns supreme.
The parallelism between city street plans and the motherboard of a computer is patent in the artist's compositions. In his urban landscapes Hayakawa stacks tiny structures to fabricate complexes. The countless cubes, often piled on a compact or solid foundation, are no more than paper ribs, a transparent framework that offers a glimpse into the void and allows us to perceive, as Hayakawa explains:
"the absence of existence, the absence of nothingness and the absence of absence."

Katsumi Hayakawa - VOID and SOLID - Galería de arte contemporáneo Yusto Giner Marbella

For more on Hayakawa see [Yusto/Giner's website](http://yusto-giner.com/exhibitions/).

h/t [Spoon & Tamago](http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2014/07/02/void-and-solid-katsumi-hayakawa-explores-architectural-density-with-floating-paper-city/)

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Japanese artist Katsumi Hayakawa investigates city space, perspective, and the spread of man-made buildings with his hand-made sculptures.

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Paper Metropolis Delicately Explores Urban Density

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Paper Metropolis Delicately Explores Urban Density

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