Paper, or the idea of it, is a conundrum. At once ephemeral (much of it is discarded almost as soon as it is obtained) and elemental (what would civilization amount to without books and buildings, both of which rely on paper?) paper's ubiquity, and the fact that we take it for granted, makes it appealing as an artistic medium.

To celebrate its first anniversary in its new building on Columbus Circle, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) has taken on the many ways in which artists have transformed paper into two- and three-dimensional objects. Slash: Paper Under the Knife opens next Wednesday, but until then, visitors can tour the installation and see a number of pieces being installed by the artists.

Organized by the museum's chief curator, David McFadden, Slash is the third exhibition in MAD's Materials and Process series, which began in 2007 with Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting, and continued with Pricked: Extreme Embroidery. The exhibition consists of works by more than 50 contemporary artists from 16 countries, including Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Tom Friedman, Judy Pfaff and Kara Walker, among others.

Andreas Kocks (right), installing Paperwork #935G, 2009 (left), during the preview at the Museum of Arts and Design. Photos: Peggy Roalf.

At the media preview this morning, David McFadden led a gallery tour, for which a number of the artists were present to talk about their work. German-born Andeas Kocks was installing a huge sculptural mural that evokes the splash made by a can of paint hurled violently against a wall. Made from shaped layers of heavy watercolor paper coated with graphite, which creates a slightly pearlized surface, the piece measures over 34 feet wide by 11 feet high. Kocks said that his material of choice, until recently, was welded steel. "When working on large pieces made in an extremely heavy material, I always relied on maquettes made of paper. One day I realized that paper could create space as an event, on a large scale. The fragility of paper contains an easiness which is liberating for me. I can react immediately to what I've done, just as I can with drawing."

Romanian-born Andrea Dezso has been creating one-of-a-kind books since her student days in London. Her recent "tunnel" books are created from multiple layers of cut out and painted paper arranged in box-like structures that create the illusion of space. "My tunnel books," she writes, "reveal imagined worlds, scenarios arising from the subconscious, based on my personal experience and the strange in-betweens; living in my body, in my mind, dreams memories, and anxieties, hopes, obsession. They refer back to my childhood, which never went away." Her work is also included in the forthcoming American Illustration 28.

Tom Friedman, who produces quirky yet beautiful sculptures out of household objects, including pencils, plastic cups, laundry detergent and paper straws, is represented here by Quaker Oats, 2009. Created from countless empty cereal boxes that Friedman seamlessly joined in a way that causes the iconic imagery to quiver and vibrate, the product's association with very American virtues of thriftiness, simplicity and wholesomeness is subverted into nine-and-one-half-foot-high tower that could easily bring on a migraine.

Japanese born Kako Ueda said, "Cut paper pieces have the look of a hybrid, an object that bridges drawing and sculpture. I am interested in the meeting of nature and culture," she continued. "What we do and how we live has put nature in distress, so nature is now coming back at us in the form of epic disasters. It's important to remember that nature doesn't have the will to destroy us." Here she is represented by a larger than life size figure, Reciprocal Pain, 2009, which is intricately cut from paper and painted in earth colors. The intricately fashioned outlines shape a human body that is either at one - or at odds - with nature, depending on how you interpret the symbolic elements within.

The exhibition is organized around themes that range from the decorative to the transgressive, from pure artistic expression to political outrage. The variety of imagery, method, and meaning offers much to take away and ponder. A fully illustrated catalogue, designed by Linda Florio, presents the work of each artist along with a brief overview of their previous work.

Slash: Paper Under the Knife continues through April 4, 2010 at the Museum of Arts and Design. 3 Columbus Circle at 59^th Street, New York, NY. 212.299.7701. Please visit the website for information about a continuing series of public programs and workshops for both adults and children.

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