If you’ve ever fallen down an Instagram rabbit hole of insanely detailed art, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Kanako Abe, the incredibly talented Kiri-e artist based in San Francisco. Originally from Sendai, Japan, she creates Kiri-e paper-cut art—a traditional Japanese form of cutting intricate designs from a single sheet of paper. Yes, one sheet. Yes, by hand. And yes, it takes hours of laser-like focus (minus the actual lasers).
For Kanako, this slow, careful process is a kind of meditation. She treats each piece as a quiet moment to reflect on everyday thoughts, emotions, and the wild, delicate interconnectedness of nature and the universe. Her paper-cut art feels like visual poetry—stories about fragility, strength, and everything in between.
After years of working almost exclusively with white paper, Kanako recently ventured into color—and not just any color. We’re talking deep indigos, warm golds, and dreamy blues created with organic materials she forages from forests. When she dyes the paper, she embraces the unknown. The color might shift, fade, or surprise her completely, and she’s learned to “trust the process and embrace the imperfection.”
This new approach began during the early days of the pandemic, when trying to control every tiny detail felt exhausting. Letting the materials flow naturally brought her art back into alignment. The result? Works that are just as intricate as ever, but now filled with a sense of change, possibility, and human touch.
If you want to see more of Kanako Abe’s mesmerizing Kiri-e paper-cut art, definitely check out her Instagram — you’ll be hooked.
