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Beata Wehr (Tucson, AZ)
beatawehr.com

Taming a beast
2014
mixed media
Unique work
10 pages
10x14x0.5″ open
10″x7″x1″ closed

This book is from an ongoing series “Polish Linen Books” which I started in 2006. In recent years I have made many mixed media artist’s books and pages that are “allusions to a narrative”. I used metal objects found on the ground and stitched them to pages made out of linen canvas to create visual stories. They are sometimes not easy to understand, and the viewers have to construct them themselves. I carefully selected the materials to work with: found metal pieces speak about time, transience and place, and linen canvas that I brought from my native Poland symbolizes my roots and immigration. I often include in my work comments on human behavior.

A theme of Taming the beast is a human struggle with difficulties of life and anxiety. Some individuals are trying to resolve their problems by excessive drinking, hence there are elements related to alcohol, like cups from beer bottles on most of the pages. Taming a beast is not an easy task and may be dangerous.