Gem from [2,3]

In this series of artist’s books, slim hardcover volumes open up into complex geometric shapes. Auerbach’s choice of the pop-up technique, most commonly used in children’s books, relates to her interest in perception, specifically how we, as creatures who operate in three dimensions, might have the capacity “to conceive of a dimension that’s beyond, or even coiled within, the space that we experience.” These books grew out of the artist’s experiments in painting, in which she employs optical effects like shadows, creases, and geometric patterns to create canvases that, though flat, suggest three-dimensional topographies. Here she explodes these planes by allowing the die-cut forms to transform from flattened, folded paper into carefully realized sculptures. Highlighting the animation of this transition from two to three dimensions, Auerbach titled the series [2,3], using the mathematical term for the interval between 2 and 3.

Credit: Committee on Prints and Illustrated Books Fund