Elysha Rei is a Japanese-Australian artist who draws upon her mixed heritage to explore the transition between places, cultures and communities. She uses paper cutting techniques derived from traditional folk art to create works that respond to her cross-cultural experiences. The King’s Confidant is a large-scale paper cut inspired by Elysha’s experience of the stainglass windows in the private royal pray chamber in the Tower of London in England. By drawing on these medieval designs, Elysha plays on the idea that the windows were privy to royal confessions and prayers and thus became confidants of past Kings.
Image: Elysha Rei (Gould), The king’s confidant (detail), 2016. Paper cut.
