Since the early 1980s, Therese Weber has been engaged with PaperArt, at a time when the medium was experiencing renewed international attention, particularly in the United States. Her artistic development was profoundly shaped by sustained exchanges with Asian cultures and extended working periods in Japan, as well as research journeys to China and the Far East. These experiences deepened her exploration of paper as both material and concept.
Weber’s practice centers on paper in its manifold forms, alongside photography and drawing. Combining cultural history, natural science, and technical experimentation, she has developed a distinctive visual language. Working simultaneously from the immediacy of the present and from the spirit of ancient traditions, her work embodies a layered experience of time.
A pioneer of PaperArt in Europe, Weber is a founding member of the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) and served as its president from 1992 to 1996. As a professor of art and design, she has led lectures and workshops internationally.
Her hand-moulded paper pulp dissolves the boundary between image and object, with fracture and material transformation playing a central role. This technique stems from her deep engagement with traditional papermaking in Japan and China. In recent works, textual elements increasingly enter the compositions, reflecting cultural memory and civilizational narratives.
Born in 1953, Therese Weber lives and works in Arlesheim near Basel, Switzerland. Until 2018, she was Professor of Design and Art at the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Basel. She has represented Switzerland in numerous international exhibitions and has held solo exhibitions in institutions such as the National Museum Yerevan, MoMA Tbilisi, and the Rayko Alexiev Gallery in Sofia. Her work has received international awards and is included in public and private collections worldwide. As an author, she has published several books, including The Language of Paper. A History of 2000 Years, Hand and Mind – Narrations in Art, and Topographies of Spaces.
