Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inches. Photos by by Ivan Macedo Dias. All images Guy Larame, courtesy of JHB Gallery, New York, shared with permissionBlasting Books with High-Pressure Water, Guy Larame Scales Mountains of KnowledgeMarch 31, 2025ArtKate MothesFrom his mountainside studio in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Guy Larame (previously) creates otherworldly sculptures that mirror nearby peaks like Pico da Calednia. Using a unique method of blasting antique books with high-pressure water and stripping them of their covers, he manipulates the bound text blocks into craggy cliff faces and rocky promontories.When viewed from certain angles, each sculptures identity as volumes of text nearly vanishes as we perceive mountains in miniature. As one moves around the pieces, the rigid form of stitched binding appears or printed pages ruffle and hint and the contents.Detail of Livros 3Larames sculptures tread the line between object and landscape, juxtaposing themes of knowledge, history, and archives with geology, time, and the environment. The artist often employs dictionaries and encyclopedias, which constantly evolve and require updates, exploring the tension between physical representations of information and learning and our relationship with the natural world.Find more on the artists website.Livros 3 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.06 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 6 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 7.87 x 14.17 x 5.91 inchesLivros 6Livros 2 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inchesLivros 1 (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 6.66 x 9.84 x 5.91 inchesLivros 5 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 11.4 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesDetail of Livros 5Livros 4 (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.84 x 15.75 x 9.06 inchesNext article