Chris Natrop's Fabulous Hanging Gardens

above (L to R): Fern Space; Sparkle Bomb.

I just came across the work of Chris Natrop via dataisnature, and don't know how it could have stayed off my radar. Natrop creates intricate hand-cut paper sculptures and wall pieces that make careful use of the space, light, shadow, and application of surface materials such as wall paint, nail polish, and watercolor. The installations bring to mind both the rich decorative objects of Tord Boontje or Petah Coyne and the swirling, myth-infused psychogeographies of Matthew Ritchie.

above (L to R): Landscape Blossom Pop; Pink Dimension

Some of the smaller works have an almost devotional or altar-like composition; Natrop's process is both meditative and poetic without being cloying or precious, and responds to (in the artist's words) the visible but 'hidden essence' of his home of Los Angeles, an overpowering sensual environment of extreme urbanism infiltrated by a relentless efflorescence.
Visit the artist's website here, and read an interview with him here.