Filipino artist Ryan Villamael chose paper as his medium because he couldn't afford to paint or sculpt. Today, his paper art is featured at the likes of Art Basel and the Singapore Biennale
In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.
Ryan Villamael makes intensely detailed, fantastical sculptures out of paper—but he only started working in the medium by accident. Since choosing to use paper because of its cheapness and accessibility, he has established himself as one of the Philippines' leading contemporary artists, and has exhibited extensively around the world, including at the Singapore Biennale, Art Basel Hong Kong and the Biwako Biennale in Japan.
Here, he describes his work in his own words.
I don’t think I really had a choice in my career. This is probably the only thing I can do or want to do. It wasn’t an “if” but a “when” for me. There wasn’t any other option.