Curatorial Reading

In “Flying High” (2004), Hale Arpa ventures beyond the flat canvas into optical three-dimensionality. Constructed from painted plexiglass and layered paper cuts within a custom plexiglass enclosure measuring 17 × 24 × 7 in (43 × 61 × 18 cm), the piece transforms ambient illumination into an active compositional collaborator. As daylight traverses the transparent layers, cut silhouettes cast shifting shadows that animate the interior void.

Here, Arpa evokes the primordial tree of life, mythical beasts, and architectural labyrinths. The rigidity of modern acrylic boxes meets the organic fragility of cut parchment, establishing a poetic dialectic between containment and boundless freedom.