Erica Baum: The Bite in the Ribbon—A Paper Show invites viewers into a world where text and image converge in unexpected ways. Through the careful selection, transformation, and reinterpretation of printed materials, Baum constructs a poetic interplay of language and form, encouraging both deep looking and reading. This exhibition presents a dynamic juxtaposition of her early and ongoing projects alongside her latest work, including never-before-seen pieces.
At the heart of the show, Dog Ear, displayed in the Potter Peristyle, exemplifies Baum’s signature method of repurposing found books. By folding pages at precise angles, she creates surprising interactions between words and images, generating new narratives and abstract compositions from existing texts. This simple yet radical intervention challenges traditional notions of reading, inviting fresh interpretations with every fold.
In the Project Gallery, Baum’s recent series, Patterns and Fabrications, explore the aesthetics of fashion and craft through printed media. Patterns focuses on the striking geometries, colors, and textual fragments found in mid-century sewing pattern designs, while Fabrications expands this investigation to include materials from magazines, catalogs, and books on fashion and craft. By incorporating advertisements and coupons, Baum reframes the domestic and commercial imagery embedded in these everyday objects, offering a meditation on material culture and visual storytelling.
Through these interwoven series, The Bite in the Ribbon—A Paper Show highlights Baum’s ongoing fascination with the interplay between print, language, and image, revealing the hidden beauty and meaning within overlooked materials.
Image: Erica Baum (American, b. 1961), Wrought Iron, from Fabrications, 2024. Inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist and Bureau, New York. © Erica Baum
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