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Tape Art: Artworks made entirely from masking tape by Max Zorn

When you first come across the vintage, dark and sultry artworks of Dutch artist Max Zorn you assume they are paintings, created using pastels, watercolours or perhaps oils in sepia hues. Instead, he adopts a most unusual technique by cutting and pasting pieces of brown masking tape, which he then sticks as layers to thin acrylic glass sheets.

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Two figures in 1920s-style clothing gaze at a glowing cityscape through a window, created entirely from layered brown masking tape with backlighting

Using LED light behind the glass as a guide, he can see how his work is progressing. Talking about his process, he said: "The more layers of tape I add, the darker the shades on the artwork become. The different shades of brown allow me to shape out my scenes and portraits. I use an ordinary scalpel or X-Acto knife to cut and shape the layers of tape. The last thing I need is a lit window."

He didn't always use such large canvases of glass. When he first came up with the idea, he would hang small versions from street lamps – adding a new dimension to 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."

There's a beautiful nostalgic theme throughout Max's work: elements of classic America in the 1920s-50s and inspirations from Hopper, no less. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and whiskey, and expect Don Draper to appear at any moment.

If you want to see Max in action, watch the video below. In the meantime, check out more of his work at www.maxzorn.com.

All images courtesy of Max Zorn

Silhouetted figure holding a golden umbrella against a city skyline, created entirely from layered brown masking tape by Max Zorn
Silhouetted figures in 1920s-style clothing and headdresses, crafted from layers of brown masking tape, illuminated from behind to create sepia tones and shadows
Golden-lit figure in fedora and coat standing in a neon-lit street scene with red lanterns overhead and silhouetted figures in the background, created entirely from masking tape by Max Zorn
A sepia-toned tape art scene of a woman standing on a 1920s-50s American street with vintage cars and skyscrapers in the background, created entirely from layered brown masking tape by Max Zorn
Golden-toned masking tape artwork depicting a group of smiling figures in 1920s-style clothing with feathered headdresses, created by Max Zorn
A couple dancing on a rooftop with the illuminated Chrysler Building and Manhattan skyline behind them in sepia tones, created entirely from layered masking tape by Max Zorn
Woman with afro holding revolver inside car, artwork created from layered masking tape by Max Zorn
Woman in white dress sitting on staircase overlooking illuminated cityscape, created entirely from masking tape by Max Zorn
Silhouetted figure viewing an illuminated cityscape scene created from layered masking tape on backlit acrylic glass, showing art deco-style buildings in warm golden tones
Vintage-style nocturnal street scene created entirely from layers of brown masking tape, showing an old car, illuminated storefronts and street lamps in warm golden tones
Woman in a 1920s-style outfit and hat sits by a window overlooking a golden-lit cityscape in Max Zorn's masking tape artwork
A man in a waistcoat gazes at an illuminated paddle steamer riverboat at night, created entirely from layered masking tape by Max Zorn
Golden-toned masking tape artwork depicting vintage photographers and cameramen holding illuminated cameras against a dark background, created by Max Zorn
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