Veronika Schäpers on Crafting Artist Books That Redefine the Form
Veronika Schäpers, an accomplished book artist based in Karlsruhe, shared insights into her creative process during an interview for Lenscratch's Handmade Artist Books Week. After spending 15 years in Tokyo, she blends traditional techniques with modern narratives in her works. Among her recent creations are "The Island of Eternal Life," inspired by Yōko Tawada's dystopian narrative and featuring visuals from post-Fukushima newspapers, and "Passion & Vision," which includes etchings and quotes related to Hollow Earth concepts. A graduate of Burg Giebichenstein University, her art is included in prestigious institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Key facts
- Veronika Schäpers is a German book artist based in Karlsruhe.
- She lived in Tokyo for 15 years after a scholarship in 1997.
- Her book 'The Island of Eternal Life' is based on Yōko Tawada's short story.
- The book incorporates photos from newspaper special editions after the March 11, 2011 Fukushima disaster.
- It is wrapped in a fireproof 'bousaizukin' hood, a standard disaster preparedness item in Japan.
- Her book 'Passion & Vision' features etchings from photograms of a collector's objects.
- It includes quotations about Hollow Earth theories from Athanasius Kircher, Jules Verne, Edmond Halley, and Cyrus Reed Teed.
- Schäpers studied at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle.
- Her works are in the Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Urawa Art Museum, Berlin State Library, and Klingspor Museum Offenbach.
- She has won the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia and the MCBA Book Art Prize.
Entities
Artists
- Veronika Schäpers
- Yōko Tawada
- Athanasius Kircher
- Jules Verne
- Edmond Halley
- Cyrus Reed Teed
- Walter Benjamin
- Naoaki Sakamoto
Institutions
- Lenscratch
- Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design
- Centro del bel Libro
- Library of Congress
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Urawa Art Museum
- Berlin State Library
- Klingspor Museum Offenbach
- University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe
- Paper Nao
Locations
- Coesfeld
- Germany
- Karlsruhe
- Halle
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Berlin
- Ascona
- Switzerland
- Estero
- Florida
- USA
- Shibuya
- Fukushima