Check Out Bianca Levan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Levan.

Bianca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My creative journey began and continues to be a drive for self expression. As a kid, I didn’t have aspirations to be an artist. In fact, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. But I always had a deep desire to share, show, expose what I was feeling and experiencing. At a young age, I tried various outlets like writing poetry and short stories, as well as playing piano and guitar, but nothing felt quite right.

When I was 26, my boyfriend at the time took me to an open studios weekend in San Francisco. Visiting that building was like nothing I had seen or felt before. I just didn’t know places like that existed. There were floors of artist studios – each one so unique and different – there was paint on the floors, tall ceilings with wooden cross beams – it was intoxicating. I knew I had to be there. It was as if I had been jolted awake from a haze.

My job at that time had me spending 40 hours a week in a windowless cubicle and just needed more. So, without a defined art practice or even a clear medium, I started renting an art studio for $150 a month. It was a tiny, two-walled cubicle, but it was a space I had chosen for myself and I became dedicated to exploration. About 6 months after that, I started papercutting. And this was all about 13 years ago.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. As a completely self-taught artist, I’ve struggled with being an imposter or concerned with whether or not I have a clear “voice” in my work. However, this has mattered less and less to me over time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Each piece I make is hand cut using a scalpel blade and a single sheet of paper, frequently black paper. The process of papercutting is a form of emotional processing for me. While creating a work, I am reflecting on a question or experience in my personal life. I start with a blank paper and as I remove and extract pieces of paper bit by bit, an image begins to appear. To me, the artwork and process of papercutting serves as a metaphor for discovering what’s beneath the surface or trusting the unknown. To me, papercutting feels like playing and experimenting with the presence or absence of something – an idea, paper.

How do you think about happiness?
In the studio, I’m the happiest when I’m engrossed in something — it could be in the process of discovery, working on a piece, or even organizing materials.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.biancalevan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biancalevan

Image Credits
All images: Mish Sukharev