artists
every piece has a story, and every story begins with an artist
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND · CONTEMPORARY PAPER-CUT ARTIST
Mariapaola McGurk
Mariapaola McGurk, fondly known as MP, is an Auckland-based contemporary artist who creates intricate artworks entirely by hand from paper. With a precision blade and remarkable patience, she explores human connection, identity and the ways individual stories become part of something larger.
about
For Mariapaola McGurk, paper cutting is both an artistic practice and a way of understanding the world.
Her fascination with the medium began during her teenage years, when an uncle gave her parents a paper-cut artwork. Its intricacy and possibilities remained with her, eventually inspiring a distinctive practice developed across more than 15 years.
Working primarily with black paper and a precision blade, MP cuts directly into the surface to create detailed silhouettes, patterns and interconnected forms. Every cut is made by hand, requiring patience, concentration and an understanding of how individual elements come together to form a complete image.
Positive and negative space carry equal importance within her work. The areas removed from the paper become as meaningful as those that remain, inviting viewers to pause, look closely and discover details that may not be immediately visible.
MP developed her approach independently while living in South Africa. With few opportunities to learn from established papercutting practitioners, she undertook her own research and experimentation, exploring locally available papers and developing the techniques, visual language and contemporary style that define her work today.
Her work often considers belonging, human connection and the relationship between the individual and the collective. Inspired by natural phenomena such as murmuration, where many separate movements create one larger formation, she explores how personal voices and experiences contribute to a shared whole.
MP has more than 25 years of artistic practice and holds an Honours degree in Visual Arts. She also holds a PhD in Digital Transformation and an Executive MBA, bringing together creative inquiry, research and a deep curiosity about how people understand and respond to a changing world.
Her work has received recognition through exhibitions and awards in South Africa. She won the Art on Paper category of the 2022 Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards and presented a sold-out exhibition at the 2021 Turbine Art Fair. She was also selected to create the artworks presented to every winner at the 2022 Business and Arts South Africa Awards.
In a world increasingly shaped by speed and digital production, MP remains committed to the quiet physicality of making by hand. Her process is slow and meditative, creating space to think, reflect and make sense of complexity.
Each artwork carries the time, attention and decisions involved in its creation—and invites us to look closer at the connections that hold everything together.
Because sometimes the spaces between things reveal as much as the things themselves.
Mariapaola McGurk
meet Mariapaola
Each thread part of a bigger picture.
A seated figure works with a long length of fabric, surrounded by a web of looping lines. Fine, closely spaced cuts give the figure its form, while the loose lines bring movement to the composition.
Threads of Becoming is an original artwork hand cut from deep black paper, showcasing Mariapaola McGurk’s intricate approach to papercutting.
Its monochrome palette would make a striking addition to a living room, dining room or study.
Intricate · Thoughtful · Monochrome · Contemporary
Hand-cut 90 gsm deep black paper · 58 cm × 88 cm · 2026
Framed ·
For international delivery, the artwork can be removed from its frame and carefully rolled in a protective tube, with framing instructions included.
*After purchase, we’ll arrange delivery with the artist and invoice shipping separately. For a quote before purchasing, please use the enquiry form below.