For her largest solo exhibition to date at the Vigeland Museum in 2018, Ann Iren Buan asked if mimosa—studio could do the catalogue design. We immediately said yes.

Ann Iren's practice has been described like this:

"Ann Iren Buan works with drawing, where she uses the mediums technical and esthetic aspects to explore different perspectives of vulnerability, discomfort and decay. Her work is made through a time-consuming, monotone and physical process. Her favoured materials are paper and pigment, which are put to use in ways that emphasize their inherent qualities. Through an expressive and harsh treatment of the materials the finished work indicates different levels of decay, formalizing feelings of fear, fragility and vulnerability. Buan often works in large scale, in which she is interested in the contrast between the fragility of the materials and their monumental appearance."

Her art is ethereal and soft, but with vibrant undertones and nerve. We wanted to create a publication that emulated all of this. Ann Iren wanted the publication to be a hybrid between an artist book and an exhibition catalogue. And in spite of its elegant form and paper, it’s not supposed to be handled carefully. It’s not a standard coffee table book. The paper is respected, but is supposed to evolve organically, even though it might potentially mean destruction and decay. The fragile nature of paper itself is a key design feature, especially visible in the use of Japanese double pages in parts of the book. Colors have been picked directly from her art work, from soft pinks to dark, almost black greens, bringing light and atmosphere.

The cover is made in two parts. The dust jacket is a layered screen print of one of Buan’s pieces, magnified – alluding to her structured way of working with pastels, and the many thousand hours spent toiling. Both the dust jacket and the cardboard cover of the book is embossed with her name, with no other signifier. The pure tactility of touch is emphasized.