Scherenschnitte for a Modern World
Hannah Kohl
Papercutting Artist
Hannah Kohl's work captures the heart and minds of some of the world's top artists, writers, and creators and hangs in private collections around the world.
Featured in the The NY Times.
Profiled in The New Yorker.
Speaker and Artist at TEDx Broadway 2016.
"Everyday Visionary" representing New York City at the inauguration of One World Observatory at Freedom Tower.
Commissioned for bespoke Broadway opening nights, wrap gifts for TV & film, paper anniversaries, and incredibly personal gifts.
Filled with whimsy and a heavy dose of micro-engineering, Kohl's pieces call up childhood wonder and awe at seeing something so complicated made from one of the most simple things in the world - a single sheet of paper.
No drawing. No tracing.
Just a commitment to imagination, a great deal of patience,
and scissors from a lot of Victorinox mini Swiss Army knives.
Creating extraordinary worlds from ordinary things.
"Hannah Kohl's paper snips are brilliant little worlds which nod to the past (including the little known paper snips of Hans Christian Anderson), while being completely individual and modern. She's a genius with paper and scissors!"
- Brian Selznick, Caldecott Award-winning author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret
“Hannah Kohl’s hands seem guided by the spirits. Her tiny scissors fly, and the artworks that miraculously emerge are witty, delicate, personal and one-of-a-kind.”
- Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning lyricist of RAGTIME and ANASTASIA
Say Yes | Hannah Kohl | TEDxBroadway
Look for the open door. Say yes. This is Hannah Kohl’s approach to life, and it’s led her to unexpected careers, from writer of musical theater to expert in the art of papercutting. She shares photos of her intricate artwork and the story of how she got to where she is today.
"The genius of Hannah Kohl must be shouted from the rooftops! -- there is a jolt when you first see it, and the more you look at it, the more your experience deepens and your feelings grow."
- Adam Gwon, award-winning composer/lyricist of ORDINARY DAYS
“The way in which Hannah's work connects with...her subject’s story, is as intimate and special as the memories they snip out. I'm honored and oh-so-lucky to have such a sentimental piece in my collection.”
- Gretchen Jones, fashion designer and winner of Project Runway, Season 8
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY
HOW HOw HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW
Using the tiny scissors that fold out of a mini Victorinox Classic Swiss Army knife and a simple sheet of paper, I take a deep breath, hold a picture in my mind, and begin to snip. Sometimes, I fold the paper in half, sometimes I just dive in. As I cut, the picture shifts and changes in my mind, kind of like it's coming out of the fog. And what do I do if I make a mistake? The same thing we all do... I keep going. I change the plan and adapt.
You don't have to be perfect to do wonderful things - not in your art and not in your life!
"Scherenschnitte," which translates to "scissor snips" from German is a paper cutting art that traces its roots back to 16th-Century Germany and Switzerland.
My very first piece
"GEHEN UND TRINKEN"
HANNAH KOHL - PAPERCUTS
Follow me on Twitter @1000TinySnips
Hannah Kohl papercuts
Hannah Kohl snips
Hannah Kohl Scherenschnitte
- Hannah Kohl Original Papercutting & Musical Theater Writer - athousandtinysnips
A THOUSAND TINY SNIPS
© 2023by HANNAH KOHL.