Lisa Younger, Inside out, sliced fabriano paper in 3 layers with watercolour pencil, 2023

Dimensions: 66cmx 48cm x 3cm

Johannesburg-based artist Lisa Younger works exclusively with hand-cut, layered paper, creating intricate dimensional pieces that merge fine art precision with design sensibility. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Art with Honours from Wits University (1994), where she majored in performance studies and theatre design/scenography.

Over the past three decades, Younger has worn many creative hats—designing for live performances, television productions, and built environments. From 1997 to 2002 she served as resident designer for The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative and designed productions for The National School of the Arts, while also lecturing at Wits School of Arts and Creative Voices.

In 2006 she founded Activate Space, an interdisciplinary design studio in Johannesburg, and between 2004 and 2017 was an associate designer at Activate Architecture, contributing to award-winning projects such as The Forum Homini Boutique Hotel (Silver Loerie) and The Lebone II College of the Royal Bafokeng (Bronze Loerie). Her scenography work has been recognised with multiple accolades, including a Naledi Award for Best Set Design and two FNB Vita Awards.

Younger’s artistic practice shifted towards papercut art in 2019 after attending open studio classes at The Fine Arts Workshop. Inside Out exemplifies her signature approach, layering three precisely sliced sheets of Fabriano paper coloured with watercolour pencil to explore depth, texture, and spatial interplay.