When compared to other media, paper is far more vulnerable. It can rip under even the slightest amount of pressure; it can dissolve into mush under water; and it can crease and crinkle when folded incorrectly. But it’s also incredibly versatile, as exemplified by Thiên Dinh’s practice. By carefully manipulating paper, Dinh can transform an art form that is otherwise fragile into fluffy birds, slender fish, scaly dragons, and much more.
Perhaps nothing encapsulates Dinh’s expert command over paper better than his recent betta fish sculptures. Over hundreds of hours, the Vietnamese artist meticulously ruffled, sliced, and shaped plain paper to achieve an incredible sense of realism. Each sculpture bears flowing tails that turn translucent under the sunlight, mimicking the transparency and texture of an actual fish fin. The scales are also rendered with precision, delicately stacked along and tracing the arches of fish’s bodies. (To bring the creatures to life, Dinh animated the fish using AI.)
In another recent—and quite playful—video, Dinh brings along a cockatoo sculpture for a visit to a local office. As with his betta fish, the cockatoo portrays remarkable craftsmanship, clad in paper feathers whose edges have been carved with an X-acto knife. The technique reappears in Vũ Giao—Điệu múa giao mùa (roughly translated to Mid-Season Dance), depicting an oversized peacock bedazzled with tiny gems. Fabricated in celebration of Vietnam’s Independence Day, which was held in 2025 on September 2, the bird represents innovation, luck, and wealth, according to the artist.
Feathers and scales clearly dominate Dinh’s art, but over the summer, he stretched his imagination even further. Rather than recreating a real animal, the artist opted for a dragon, combining several elements from previous and ongoing sculptures. Here, we encounter remnants of a fish’s scales; a bird’s feathery wings; a reptile’s foreboding claws; and even a deer’s antlers. The result is a chimera-like creature, complete with details that, despite their fantastical nature, don’t detract from the sculpture’s realism.
“Just paper? Think again,” Dinh said of the sculpture. “Every scale, every claw, every curve—handcrafted with obsession. This is not just a dragon. It’s patience, madness, and a thousand cuts.”
To explore more of the artist’s paper art, check out Thiên Dinh’s Instagram.
Vietnamese artist Thiên Dinh carefully ruffles, creases, and slices paper to recreate feathers, scales, claws, and more across his sculptures.
Dinh has a particular affinity for fish and birds, but he’s also sculpted an impressive, chimera-like dragon.
Thiên Dinh: Instagram
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