Lis Costa grew up in Goiânia, Brazil. She studied plastic arts at Federal University of Goiás (UFG), followed by a degree in architecture at UCG University. Costa worked as an architect and interior designer for many years before turning her focus back to fine art. In 1991, Costa moved to Bologna, Italy, where she decided to pursue an artistic career full time. She missed working with her hands and creating physical works.

Costa’s journey into paper carving emerged from a desire to recreate different designs by exploring both organic and abstract shapes. Through experimentation, she found her unique style of sculpting paper. Costa’s process begins with sheets of thick white paper made of 100% cotton. Using different sized scalpels, Costa makes light, clean, shallow incisions. These cuts animate the paper, turning the pure white sheet into a complex pattern of shadows and light that give three-dimensionality to her works. With her incisions, Costa releases the fire, the dynamism, and the rhythm trapped in the stark white paper. Costa’s cuts are spur of the moment. Rather than trying to reproduce set patterns, Costa’s style leads her towards free and unexpected movements.

For this exhibition, Costa prepared a series of works showing her latest approach to her art form. In her most recent work, she has been experimenting with different colors and materials such as gold leaf and copper pigment. Colors are not the main focus of the works, as that remains the light and shadow from the scalpel cuts. Rather, colors fill in gaps and dig coves inspired by nature. Costa continues to experiment with new colors and materials as her work evolves. There’s infinite potential enclosed in the one simple element, paper, which Costa animates and turns into artwork.  

“In my hands, under the scalpel, that white canvas comes to life.” -- Lis Costa