Abstract Library 3=2, 2023, polyptych, acrylic on aluminium

Abstract Library (2023- ongoing)

Long before I began working on my "Anywheres" series, I had already become an inveterate nomad. When I moved from Geneva to Madrid, which would become my home for a while, I decided I had to design a library that could fit into all my future flats. The library defines what my home is. I love how they look, the silent memories they hold, their colours, and their organisation.

I settled on a series of rectangular boxes that I could stack according to the space available, while also offering visual variety by arranging them horizontally or vertically. 3=2: three horizontal boxes equal the height of two vertical ones. To give movement to the front, I made them two boxes deep. This shelf has been with me ever since, moving five times along the way, so I included it in my "Anywheres" series.

I created an abstraction of these boxes, with each one becoming a life-size isometric projection of the original, a painting. The module can be assembled in the same way as the library itself: 3 = 2. I ensured they could overlap to preserve the façade's movement, just as the original. To achieve this, I decided to make them from 1 mm aluminium, each cut in a hexagonal shape.

The process transformed my bookcase into a set of flat geometries, yet the visual effect remained lively. The depth of memory embedded in my bookcase needed to be expressed. I spent a lot of time exploring colours, which led me back to geometric abstract art and MADI Art, which I had seen in museums in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. I began with ochre and cyan blue on a black background, allowing brushstrokes and texture to remain visible inside the boxes.

Logically, the outside of the box should be monochromatic, while the inside can vary, as it represents the content. However, I have freed myself from this limitation: since I no longer read my books on paper but on a tablet, my readings have become abstract as well. The outside of one abstract box can perfectly take on the colour of the inside of another.

Polychromy is more complicated, as creating harmony—a serene, colourful image—is a complex quest. I approach it instinctively, guided by my connection to objects that speak to me, that want to come together in one way rather than another, and that must collectively emit positive energy and transport me to one imaginary world or another. For these combinations, I selected seven colours that work well together.

Abstract Library, Naedt hanging in his studio. Video Nicolas Robin Hobbs

Abstract Library, variety of hangings and colours