Book Object, Decorated Life, One-of-a-Kind Artwork

Circles and lines, hard and soft, printed images and 3D collages are all juxtaposed on this beautiful, one-of-a-kind art piece. A printed edging of circles and lines border three vertical nail heads, and is surrounded itself by string woven around nails. A bottle cap rests in the book cover itself, and all is covered in an artistic wax design. The nails and string prevent the art that was once a book from being opened, but the spine reveals the very apt original title, “The Go Between.” This piece is not only an excellent example the expressiveness of found objects, but an exploration of going between extremes.

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 5.5’’ x 8.3’’
• Made of book, string, wax, and a bottle cap.
• Title of book is “The Go Between”
• Kolbo exclusive