In Paper Stories, artists Dominique Prévost, Susan Ruptash and Heejung Shin come together for a deep exploration of paper as both medium and message. Rooted in the traditions of Japanese washi and Korean hanji—papers celebrated for their tactile richness and meticulous craftsmanship. Each artist approaches the material with reverence, drawing from its historical depth to create works that are at once contemporary and timeless. United by a shared sensibility, their practices converge around the themes of repetition, rhythm, and poetry, transforming the gallery space into a meditation on light, texture, and movement. With a deliberately restrained palette, the exhibition calls on viewers to slow down, to observe, and to engage intimately with the subtle nuances of surface and form, an invitation to experience paper not merely as support, but as a living, breathing presence within the work itself.
Installation view of Paper Stories at Propeller Art Gallery
Upon viewing Dominique Prévost’s work, I had the privilege of speaking with the artist herself. Prévost offered an insightful and generous analysis of both her own pieces and those of her fellow exhibitors. She emphasized that her primary source of inspiration is nature and the surrounding environment—a theme that resonates throughout her practice. With a deep sensitivity to light, rhythm, and organic form, she employs a wide range of techniques to create layered compositions that evoke the subtleties of the natural world. Each artwork is meticulously constructed from painted and manipulated papers, reflecting shifting light, fluid movement, and the repetition found in organic structures. The piece that particularly stood out to me was Snakes. It distinguishes itself through its dynamic representation and technical intricacy. Prévost explained that she used a graphite stencil to form the background, lending the work a soft, shadow-like depth that contrasts beautifully with the more vivid elements. The circular details were achieved through paint marbling, which introduces a sense of fluid motion and variation in texture. What struck me most, however, was the way the snakes push past the boundaries of the frame. Their bodies seem to slither outward, as if refusing containment, challenging the viewer’s sense of space and inviting a more physical, visceral engagement with the work. This disruption of the compositional edge imbues the piece with a sense of life and unpredictability, as though the image cannot be confined to the paper alone. It felt, in that moment, as though the snakes were not simply representations, but active presences within the work. Emotionally, the piece elicited a strange combination of calm and tension. There is a quiet grace in the flow of textures and materials, but it is undercut by the alert, almost watchful quality of the snakes. It is this tension between beauty and danger, stillness and motion, that gives Snakes its compelling emotional force and a lasting impression.
Dominique Prévost, Snakes, ink, graphite, colour pencil, 3 papers, 17 x 21 inches (left) and detail (right)
What interested me most in Susan Ruptash’s elegant composition of Four was the way light actively manipulates the viewer’s perception of the paper itself. The installation is not static; rather, it responds to its environment, revealing new subtleties as one moves around it. Depending on the angle of approach, the folds, creases, and textures catch light differently—sometimes casting shadows, other times glowing with luminosity. This dynamic relationship between material and light transforms the paper into something more than its surface, allowing it to oscillate between presence and absence. The four sheets, each deliberately crumpled and shaped, evoke a sense of in-betweenness—what might be described as a liminal space. They hover somewhere between order and disorder, as if capturing a fleeting state of transition. The paper appears to breathe, to shift, to hold memory. There is something deeply human in the way it folds into itself and simultaneously reaches outward like skin, and thought. Ruptash’s restraint in material and palette only heightens the contemplative quality of the piece, inviting viewers to slow down and witness the choreography between form, light, and time.
Susan Ruptash, Four, Oguni Snowbleached Kozo 26g washi with konnyaku and copper wire, 18 x 48 x 30 inches (right) and detail (left)
Heejung Shin’s work is an exquisite study in geometry and emotional resonance, where colour and form work in tandem to evoke a sense of suspended melancholy. The composition appears to depict raindrops fallen on the ground, conveyed through a refined abstraction that transforms a familiar scene into something contemplative and affecting. Each form is carefully arranged with spatial sensitivity, creating a rhythmic yet irregular geometry that mirrors the natural randomness of rainfall while preserving a deliberate compositional balance. The palette—a nuanced spectrum of blues ranging from deep indigo to pale, almost translucent azure—intensifies the emotional atmosphere. These tones do not merely suggest rain; they evoke the sensation of solitude, the quiet of listening to waterfall in silence. The piece feels contemplative and hushed, as though time has momentarily paused within the soft echo of a rainy afternoon. In Shin’s hands, geometry becomes a language of emotion, and colour, a vessel for mood.
Heejung Shin, Faded, watercolor, pigment, Hanji on canvas, 12 x 12 inches (left) and detail (right)
Paper Stories at Propeller Art Gallery is a masterclass in the expressive potential of paper, offering a tactile and contemplative experience that lingers well beyond the gallery walls. The works of Dominique Prévost, Susan Ruptash and Heejung Shin are united—each artist engaging with paper not simply as a surface, but as an active participant in meaning-making. These pieces do not clamour for attention; instead, they draw one in through subtlety, repetition, and restraint.
Kaya Meziane
Images are courtesy of Propeller Art Gallery.
*Exhibition information: Paper Stories / Dominique Prévost, Susan Ruptash, Heejung Shin, March 26 – April 13, 2025, Propeller Art Gallery, 30 Abell St, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sat, 1 – 5:30pm, Sun 12 – 4pm.