Book Unbound

The final gallery returns you to Devlin’s studio, which is always in flux. At the center of a table is an installation of notes, mock-ups, color proofs, and page layouts Devlin and her team created in collaboration with the editors and curators while making the book An Atlas of Es Devlin. The book’s unbound pages wallpaper the room, charting connections across her work. Devlin wanted to play with the material qualities of a book, creating a tactile narrative. With die cuts, fold outs, transparencies, and mirrored papers, the book becomes a sculpture as well as a record of Devlin’s creative practice.

Two people are shown looking at two walls covered in a series of square pages with text and images that are lined up next to each other.
Es Devlin, Book Unbound installation, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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A person is seated in a red chair at a large table covered in books and print materials; other people are shown looking at the walls of the room that are covered in pages with colorful images and text.
Es Devlin, Book Unbound installation, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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An opened book that faces the viewer reveals various artworks; on the left is a shaded black-and-white drawing of a face and on the right are several depictions of a female body; some in warm colors and others in black and white.
Es Devlin, Study for book, An Atlas of Es Devlin, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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A gallery wall covered with tightly place papers depicting imagery in a variety of colors. A table covered in papers and a lamp appears before the wall.
Es Devlin, Book Unbound installation, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Photo by Es Devlin Studio
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Series of square pages pinned to a wall featuring some text but mostly images. They are lined up next to each other in rows and are organized by color: at the top are red images followed by yellow ones, followed by blue imagery, and eventually leading to the pages with text towards the bottom.
Es Devlin, Book Unbound installation, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Photo by Es Devlin Studio
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Two walls are shown in the background covered in square pages featuring text and images that are lined up next to each other. In the foreground is a large wooden table covered in more print materials, illuminated by a lamp; several red chairs surround the table.
Es Devlin, Book Unbound installation, "An Atlas of Es Devlin," 2023
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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