Miljohn Ruperto's Accordion Book Explores Greek Time Concepts Through Flipbooks

Los Angeles-based artist Miljohn Ruperto has created a limited-edition artist book titled 'An Operational Account of Western Spatio-Temporality' that examines how three Ancient Greek concepts of time shape Western subjectivity. The publication features an accordion-folded essay exploring aion (eternal time), chronos (linear time), and kairos (the time of action) as frameworks through which Western subjects historically position themselves in the world. Ruperto, who was born in Manila, presents the work in a small box measuring approximately 12 × 8 cm. Three accompanying flipbooks contain rotating disembodied heads without text, drawing from art historical references. One flipbook shows Medusa's head with writhing snakes, another depicts what appears to be John the Baptist's head, and a third presents a three-faced Christ representing the Trinity. The artist notes that using linear language itself represents a concession to the impulse for order that these temporal frameworks embody. This exploration connects to broader historical patterns of categorization underlying both colonial projects and decolonial responses. The publication is available through X Artist's Books for $35.