Patrick Cabral’s goal with his paper art is simple: to take your breath away. “I’m just trying to capture awe,” he relayed once in an interview with spot.ph. “To make your brain freeze and say, ‘This is not possible.’” Indeed, scrolling through his work, you can’t help but be amazed by the amount of thought and level of detail that goes into each and every one of his pieces.
Cutting and layering piece by piece, Cabral’s work pays homage to the intricate beauty that is the natural world. Most of his paper art is dedicated specifically to the animal kingdom, with one of his more epic series documenting endangered species of animals. According to Cabral, half of his sculpture sales from this series were donated to the WWF-Philippines (World Wildlife Fund Philippines).
“My art can help educate the younger generation about the plight of these species,” stressed the Manila-based artist. “I want everyone to go beyond social media and contribute their time and presence to causes that are important to them.”
One of the most challenging pieces he made is a paper octopus, which was created using some 900 individual layers of paper. According to Cabral, this one piece took him around three months of work, from planning to execution. Another incredible piece is a papercut rendition of a rhino, inspired by a woodcut by Albrecht Durer from 1515.
According to Cabral, we may still have a chance to correct our past mistakes regarding the environment, but time is running fast. Hopefully, his art can raise awareness to this greater cause.
