Artbook as a work of art

Moscow artist Mikhail POGARSKY makes books out of wood, tablets, glass and fabric, most of them as single copies and collectors are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of rubles for each acquisition.

Moscow artist Mikhail POGARSKY makes books out of wood, tablets, glass and fabric, most of them as single copies and collectors are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of rubles for each acquisition.
“Of course I sell them but each has its own price. I always think, “At this price, I could make one more copy,” because the process is extremely time-consuming,” the artist told RIA Novosti.
Pogarsky describes his works as artbooks.
“The artist is not simply an illustrator. He creates the “body” of the book with pictures, drawings and sculpture,” he says.
He says a message is encoded in every one of his books, and only by touching each work of art can you decipher it.
For example, the book “Time Mechanisms” is made of cross sections through apple trees showing their rings. Pogarsky said he wanted the people looking at the book to think about the passage of time. And the book “Poplar Verses” is made like a herbarium, forcing the reader to remember their school years.