Book Object, Where Lies a Secret, One-of-a-Kind Artwork

Unlike Nechama Levendel’s other pieces of art made from repurposed books, it is not immediately apparent what this piece of art was originally made from. A thin piece of cloth wrapped in string surrounds the flat interior. Holes cut into the encasement reveal a collage of shreds of paper cut from books, which hide the interior. Levendel’s work often makes good use of the mysterious aura surrounding unknowable books by tying them with string and encasing them in wax. This is a sharp departure from her usual treatments of books, as she hides the piece in cloth. Therein lies the secret.

Nechama Levendel’s work features a unique combination of artforms. She repurposes books using an ancient technique of encaustic wax painting. While this technique is traditionally used on wooden boards, Levendel’s unique works incorporate old, discarded books and the drippings of candle wax. She has lived in Ein Hod Artists’ Village since 1984 and shared her work with Kolbo in an exclusive 2013 exhibit.

We’ll let the artist herself tell you about her Book Objects:
“I started working with books during our time in Germany as visiting artists. We were wandering in the flea market on a very cold day in the winter of the year 2000. Suddenly, my eyes came across a pile of used books lying on the cold black asphalt. I began to wonder where have they been, who had held them and in which home, how they got there… many thoughts of all kinds. This was especially profound given the history of that place, a place where they burned books and also people. A book is a private item that tells a story. I thought about what it means to print thoughts, share them, and how others buy them. I find used books that were a part of someone’s life and that they held in their hands. These books hold the story of the writer, the owner, and from this I add my own language and interpretation. It is now a book object that tells a completely new story with its own unique visual aesthetic.”

• Approximately 6.5’’ x 9.25’’
• Made of string, cloth, wax and a secret.
• Title of book is: Where Lies a Secret
• Kolbo exclusive