Charles Clary’s Nostalgic Paper Cut Sculptures

Charles Clary turns his childhood nostalgia into striking works of art in a series of sculptures constructed from intricately cut layers of colored paper.

The enigmatic interventions that Clary makes to these piece of pop culture packaging illustrate his ambivalent feelings towards them as a form of escapism from the difficulties of his real life.

Childhood is a time of play and innocence for most, playing games, getting lost in the fiction and drama of movies. But for some, these games and movies become an escapism, a place to reside for just a few precious moments, to escape the trauma of real life. After losing both of my parents I began to explore the things I used to escape abuse, divorce, and addictions.

You can see the meticulous process of creating these fascinating paper cut works in this video by Darby Campbell.

Although Clary has already created a staggering amount of work for this series, he plans to continue making them until he can recreate an entire VHS rental store displaying over 600 of his VHS sculptures.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this series is how Clary is still using these artifacts from his childhood as a poetic form of escapism.

[via Lusik]