Daniel Greenfeld's Paper Mosaics: An Architectural Approach to Scrap Art

Berlin-based artist Daniel Greenfeld creates intricate paper artworks that he describes not as collages but as a hybrid of assemblage and inlaid mosaic. His process involves cutting painted cardstock into shapes, slicing out cavities, and embedding new shapes, which are then glued together. The scraps from each piece are recycled into future works, creating a circular process where the offcuts become more intricate over time. Greenfeld's compositions, often depicting faces, places, and fruit, are carefully tiled from these scraps, appearing clean and constructivist from afar but revealing roughness and imperfection up close, with smudges and crumples that he embraces to avoid being "too precious." The series began by chance when, after creating 3D lamps and sculptures from offcuts, he decided to arrange his favorite shapes into flat abstract compositions, inspired by archaeology and the challenge of piecing together ancient ruins. The problem-solving nature of building a scene from limited materials motivates him, with the idea of a "complete original design" hidden in the rubble keeping him engaged. Greenfeld's work is featured on his website and Instagram, and he was profiled by It's Nice That, with the article written by staff writer Ellis Tree.