The Rural We: Irmari Nacht
The artist, who has a home in Egremont, creates and exhibits fantastical "bookworks."
Artist Irmari Nacht has been coming to the Berkshires for over 50 years (her home base is in Englewood, New Jersey). Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She received an award as a Visual Arts Winner of the 2018 World Citizen Artists Compete for Peace Not War Compeitition. Two of her bookworks are currently part of the Vessel Invitational: Revisioning the Receptable Group Exhibition at The Delaware Contemporary.
I grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and got degrees in history and English. All of my work experience has been in art, advertising, publishing, writing, PR, and fine arts. We first came to the Berkshires on the weekends for hiking and cultural activities. In 1992 we bought a house in South Egremont and did more of the same on long weekends and I got involved in art activities.
I’ve painted and for many years made large fiber and paper sculptures, but in 2007 I had a “eureka moment” and combined my need to recycle things with my love of books. I use books that otherwise might be discarded and transform them into artworks; they become the raw material to form sculptures. The books are often painted, distressed, and cut, sometimes into slivers which curl and undulate, and return to the tree-like shape from which the paper was made. Some books explode from their spines: a four-inch book has grown to 24 inches through a series of cuts and spirals reaching out to the viewer with subliminal messages.
I have always been interested in recycling; taking something that retains its past, but lives again in a totally new form. We are all affected by changes in the environment and are beginning to realize the need to recycle to protect our future. I hope my work will increase awareness of these changes and will get people thinking about recycling, reusing, and repurposing.
My artwork addresses environmental and social concerns, change and transformation, information received and denied, altered reality, as well as the concept of multiple imagery, which highlights the strength and energy of repeated elements.
I usually get books from my library book sales, books that were read and loved, not purchased at book sale, offered for free to teachers…then I come in and recycle all those vibes and history into a book sculpture. Please note: No new books were hurt in this endeavor.
I choose books that speak to me in a visual way; size, paper texture, interesting endpapers; I’m less interested in the original content. I use the entire book; no pages are added and none are removed. I slice, sliver, fold, distress, paint each page. I use an Xacto knife, which is very sharp; I’m very careful not to get into a zone where I’m working automatically, so that I don’t also slice my fingers.
My latest books are a response to the awful coronavirus news. I need some order in the time of chaos. It helps me to mindlessly cut slices in a book, to do repetitive actions, and then break through the symmetry with just enough variation to express the changing world. The combination of chaos and order keeps me grounded.
