Tahiti Pehrson’s heavenly paper cut sculptures will play tricks on your brain

Have you ever see a potato chip that looks just like Jesus or a cloud that bore a distinct resemblance to a unicorn? The brain-tricking phenomenon is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia" target="_blank">pareidolia</a>, and it's the focus of a series of intricate <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/papercut-art/" target="_blank">paper cut artworks</a> by artist <a href="http://www.tahitipehrson.com" target="_blank">Tahiti Pehrson</a>. Pehrson's fragile, lace-like pieces will be taking over Chelsea’s <a href="http://josephgrossgallery.com" target="_blank">Joseph Gross Gallery </a>for the month of September, inviting viewers to let their imaginations run wild amidst their ethereal mystique.

Pehrson’s work is inspired by the natural patterns of ecological and cultural systems, which he often discovers himself through travel. Ancient symbols, mandalas, historical pattern work, organic and ornamental designs are all evident in the markings and cuts in each <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/recycled-paper-art/" target="_blank">paper page</a>.

Each piece has a variation of cuts, holes and figures, all cut by hand over many hours by Pehrson himself.

An average piece can take the artist up to 100 hours, with each cut becoming an almost meditative process over the duration of creation. The pieces may have thousands upon thousands of tiny cuts, but the resulting pieces have a minimalist quality, often looking sleek and strong.

Despite the pieces lace-like quality, Pehrson’s process also makes ordinary paper look solid, substantial and sound. In the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/paper-sculpture/" target="_blank">sculptural works</a>, the sheets of paper look almost to be like marble, tricking the viewer to think they are anything but fragile.

For the exhibition, Perhson has created complex framed pieces, but also three-dimensional <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/sculpture/" target="_blank">sculptural works</a> that allow light to interplay with the cut patterns, casting shadows and giving even more pareidolic food for thought.

The show runs until October 3rd.