Bristol-based artist Diana Beltrán Herrera creates intricate paper sculptures of flora and fauna, incorporating materials like paperboard, thread, and cardboard to expand her practice. Her latest works explore coral formations, using embroidery techniques to mimic fractal and hyperbolic geometries found in nature. This month, her first series of coral research pieces will be installed at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, opening at the end of June.
This article highlights how contemporary artists are blending traditional craft techniques with scientific observation to produce visually compelling works that bridge art and natural history. Herrera's exhibition at a major museum underscores the growing institutional recognition of paper sculpture and textile-inspired art as serious contemporary practice, while her use of hyperbolic geometry in coral forms points to an interdisciplinary dialogue between art, mathematics, and marine biology.