Sarah Keller Heer

Lives and works in Switserland

Sarah Keller Heer specializes in paper cuttings, an art form firmly rooted in Swiss culture. These delicate pictures are cut from black paper and mounted on a white carrier sheet. Traditionally, they show rural scenes with livestock, huts and mountains, representing things of great importance to their makers. The technique is very simple, using nothing more than paper, paperknife and a pair of small scissors. Swiss paper cuttings are often symmetrical, due to folding the paper before cutting. The compositions are structured in layers, generating a storyline, almost like a comic strip. These influences are widely found in the artists work, transforming this traditional folk art to a modern and urban context. She uses the traditional technique as a vehicle to serve contemporary images, often with a dark twist.