Anna Cook: Paper Transformed

Winner of the New Ashgate Gallery Prize at the 2024 Festival of Crafts, Farnham Maltings.

‘Paper Transformed’ is an exhibition featuring the precise art of paper cutting. Using a selection of simple tools and a range of tonal papers, Anna meticulously hand-cuts the materials bringing life to a menagerie of creatures from furtive foxes to beautiful blackbirds and elegant swans.

From conception to completion, some of Anna’s larger sculptures take weeks to create as the designing and cutting processes are very labour intensive, she loses hours to achieve extra detail and colour. Rooted in craftsmanship yet defiantly modern, her practice speaks to the enduring power of material-led storytelling. Whether exploring the fragility of nature or the geometry of spaces, Cook’s work captures a quiet poetry that lingers long after viewing. A must-see for collectors, design enthusiasts, and those drawn to the evolving conversation between tradition and innovation in contemporary craft.

Anna lives and works in York, North Yorkshire. She has a background in printmaking and design and now works predominantly in the Art & Framing industry.