Maurits

   Maurits is an interactive artist's book inspired by the impossible architecture and visual paradoxes of Dutch artist M.C. Escher.   

   Rather than illustrating a single narrative, the book invites viewers into a world where perspective shifts, gravity bends, and 

   architecture becomes both familiar and impossible.

   As each page unfolds, layered paper structures create a maze of staircases, balconies, windows, and passageways inhabited

   by anonymous figures. Some appear to climb endlessly while others pause, observe, or disappear into hidden spaces. With

   every turn of the page, the composition changes, revealing new relationships between the architectural elements and 

   encouraging the viewer to question where each path begins—or ends.

   Constructed from precisely cut layers of paper mounted between rigid covers, Maurits transforms the traditional codex into a 

   sculptural environment. The interplay of light and shadow creates depth that changes with the viewing angle, making the work 

   as much an exploration of space as of paper engineering.

   Like Escher's work, Maurits asks the viewer to slow down and reconsider perception itself. The book offers no single correct 

   viewpoint. Instead, it rewards curiosity, inviting repeated exploration as hidden details, unexpected pathways, and new visual 

   connections emerge with every interaction.

   Artist Statement

   Maurits grew from a lifelong admiration for the work of M.C. Escher. I first encountered his art in college after completing a 

   drawing of a school of angelfish. My professor remarked that the repeating forms reminded him of Escher's prints, introducing 

   me to an artist whose work has fascinated me ever since.

   What continues to inspire me is not simply Escher's technical mastery, but his ability to manipulate perception. Through 

   repeated patterns, impossible architecture, and shifting perspectives, he challenged viewers to question what they believed 

   they understood about space and reality.

   With Maurits, I sought to explore those same ideas through the medium of paper. Layer by layer, staircases climb, descend, 

   intersect, and fold back upon themselves, transforming the traditional book into an architectural sculpture. The pages create 

   changing perspectives as the viewer moves around the work, revealing new relationships with every angle.

   The anonymous figures traveling the endless stairways carry personal significance. They appear to be constantly moving—

   ascending, descending, searching—yet never truly arriving. At times, life can feel much the same: filled with effort, routine, and 

   motion, while our destination remains uncertain. Rather than portraying despair, these figures represent perseverance, the 

   continual act of moving forward even when the path seems circular.

   Paper, with its ability to fold, layer, and create dimensional space from a flat surface, became the ideal material for interpreting 

   these ideas. Through it, I hope to invite viewers to pause, reconsider their perspective, and discover that reality is often shaped 

   as much by how we choose to see as by what is actually before us.

Year: 2015

Medium: Mixed media artist's book

Structure: pop up structure

Materials: Archival papers, mixed media

Dimensions:    closed in box     9.5” x 4.5” x 1.25”

                          open                    8.75” x 12.5” x 11”

Edition: Unique

Status: Available