STATEMENT
The pleasure of turning a page, turning over a new leaf, continuing and starting anew simultaneously – unfolding – this is why I make books. Through drawing (both analog and digital) I unfold narratives which often identify as abstract comics. I proceed by way of cultural and visual associations. For text, I frequently use asemic writing – a kind of mark making that looks like writing but has no semantic value. It is ancient as well as contemporary. (See Peter Schwenger’s scholarly study “Asemic The Art of Writing” (2019)).
Expanding my fascination with mark-making has led me to drawing sound. Being invisible, sound is wide open to visual representation. Some of my sound drawings could be called asemic music scores. During the pandemic I found myself drawing furiously on vintage sheet music paper. This became ‘Corona Panic Score’. (Commercially printed and available at Printed Matter and Amazon)
BIOGRAPHY
Rosaire Appel was born in New York City and grew up in semi-rural environments. Returning to the city at 20, she participated in poetry workshops, and attended the New York Studio School when it first opened. She has no degrees or certificates. She wrote two experimental novels (published by Fiction Collect 2) before turning to darkroom photography in the late 80’s. As analog morphed to digital she began combining word and image in book forms. She has produced many visual books, limited editions, unique as well as commercially printed.
Her work has been included in ‘Judith, women making visual poetry” (just published), Scrivere Disegnando / When language Seeks it Other (Geneva), Sand (Berlin), and many literary journals. A solo show of her sound drawings took place at Scholes Street Studios in 2019 and selections were recently included at The Resnick Passlof Foundation, “The One and the Many”. An assortment of books and drawings were exhibited at No. 3 Reading Room in Beacon, NY, just as the pandemic took hold. Her work is included in local and international museums, libraries and private collections.
Rosaire Appel Website
