Miniature Paper Cuttings by KK Bicalho

It was such a joy to put together this Artist Spotlight post. Why? Because the miniature paper cuttings that KK Bicalho, a fine artist and art educator in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, creates are just that... joyful. For inspiration, she needs to look no further than the details of daily life.

miniature paper cutting of painter sliding down painted edge of picture frame

As KK says, "There is a lot of hidden beauty out there, here and there. It is necessary to see in another way what is always there. Forgetting for a while the way adults' eyes look at everything and remembering what our childhood eyes used to do."

miniature paper cutting of children in circle holding hands

The joie de vivre in KK's often whimsical Minuances (i.e. mini nuances) is due to her flair for capturing those little moments in time that we might otherwise take for granted.

"By recording in paper silhouettes the situations that are around us, I give rise to a new way of appreciating life, with lightness and simplicity."

"I love miniatures! But my art goes beyond the paper that I cut. I dialogue with the space around the papercut figure and sometimes I use the walls too."

"Starting small, but often getting big. I dream to grow them even more! (Not the cutouts, but the entire work.)"

two young children look at miniature paper cutting diorama held by smiling young woman

A wife and mother of two young children, KK works in her home studio. Her paper cuttings have been exhibited throughout Brazil, sold in galleries and online, and are in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janiero.

exhibit visitors get close look at black silhouette miniature paper cuttings

While earning a Fine Arts degree at Guignard School in Belo Horizonte, KK specialized in metal print and drawing.

She created many pieces using silhouettes on both subjects, but it was in childhood or adolescence that she was first compelled to try paper cutting.

"If I’m not wrong, one of my first cutouts was a ballerina or a fairy. I remember starting the cutout by the bottom (the feet), the same way I still start them."

I look forward to seeing KK's newest works via her website and on Instagram where she shares reels of her cutting process. (I was surprised at the size of the scissors KK uses as I thought they would be much smaller to get such fine detail.)