TAPE PAINTING

This Was Made from Multiple Layers of Precision Cut Packing Tape

Nigeria-based artist Osama A mike places multiple layers of brown packing tape on acrylic glass sheets. The more layers of tape he uses, the darker the shades become. He then uses an cutter knife to cut and shape the various layers. However, it’s not until a light source (like a lamp, light box or sunlight) is activated that the artworks come to life and truly take form.

Mike says the idea to use packing tape began with inspiration from Max Zorn's street art:
“There’s a lot of great street art by day, but it disappears after dark. I wanted to come up with urban art that uses nighttime as a setting, and there was nothing more inviting than the street lamps in Amsterdam. In the beginning I used packing tape to fill in larger sections of my marker drawings. Once I hung them on street lamps, the light’s effect opened up new ideas with ditching markers and just using tape.”