Prudent Picks

marvelous works of uncommon value

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Nigrum

Three poems dedicated to the Piper Nigrum, the most humble of our spices, the black pepper. Initially inspired by a chili eating contest at a Thai restaurant, the book evolved to explore the history of the spice trade in SE Asia. Silkscreen printed with the Gocco on black French Speckletone Cover and bound as a palm leaf book with cotton embroidery thread, black glass buttons, and black Japanese Unryu.Shown is the backside: a map of the Banda Islands (the Spice Islands)

Excerpt from the third poem Twist reads:Fire eaters gather around a perculiar
feast of sunsets sprinkled with stardust burnt to black/
Papaya with pepper & chili with wild rice
extra hot pad Thai with one more habanero.

8.5" x 1.25" x 0.25" closed, 8.5" x 20" opened

 

$42- to purchase contact gallery

 

Shu-Ju Wang, Portland, Oregon

Shu-Ju Wang is a painter and book artist who uses personal histories to question and decipher the sometimes wonderful, sometimes unsettling, first generation American life. The current national spotlight on personal history—where one has lived and traveled, where one's relatives call home, and what makes one a Real American—especially resonates with her.

 


All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.