There is a hidden gem on view at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City—an art book group show of 15 artists carefully curated by the directors and curators of Monira Foundation and Mana Contemporary. The exhibition unfolds across two rooms. In the first space, the viewer encounters a dimly lit room of suspended tables uniquely designed by Kele McComsey. On each table, there is a carefully curated display of artist books—a rare opportunity to view this uniquely expressive form of art. During the run of the show, the curators periodically shift some books, while others are welcome to be handled. This is an incredible opportunity to see artist books and experience their magic. Blurring the lines between book and sculpture, these magnetic art objects have always been a curatorial challenge. They are meant to be experienced, unlike most other art pieces.
Many are politically charged, and almost all relate to the human condition. John O’Connor’s pAradDoOx of toleRancE, 2025, is a bright, unraveled book that is both playful and philosophical. He’s a master of language and visual juxtapositions. He reflects on society’s tenuous moral pendulum swinging between tolerance and intolerance, using repetition and visual cues to visually morph the words “tolerance” and “intolerance” through repetition and visual cues.
Rujuta Rao’s piece Mother, 2024, highlights a relationship between a mother and her child. The piece is presented in a circular manner, so all parts are viewable, but it is actually meant to be a wearable artifact that slips on like a bracelet. Another work by Rao is yet another very personal and unconventional book. The piece is titled Seer, and it is a 13-page unbound book where the sequence is guided by shape. It is based on a childhood experience with an alcoholic drink reflected in the disorienting configuration of the book.
There are pieces in the show that cross material boundaries, such as Fragments of Light 2 by Kelly Driscoll and Cocoa by Rowan Reene, both of which are made of glass. Driscoll’s piece is a stack of glass panels with laser-etched poems by the poet Rumi. The seven plates are stacked in a state where the book appears to have an incredible depth, where layers and layers of words create a cognitive and visual effect. In contrast, Rowan Reene’s piece is a colorful stained glass sculptural work with a video still of a smiling gay couple from a 1964 surveillance video of Miami’s historic 21st Street Beach. There’s also a chain that suggests the work can be hung with only the hinge, suggesting a book-like formation. In fact, the work more resembles a box that can be closed to keep something precious.
The second space is a room full of Ann Messner’s the atlases. These are sculptural pieces presented on the floor in a monochromatic palette, with physically cut and altered atlases. Messener presents the atlases as living and changing documents that reflect natural disasters, political conflicts, boundary changes, and other abstracted changes to our planet. Born as a reflective compensation to the physical boundaries set during the Covid pandemic and social restrictions, the atlases came to a conclusion on the last Atlas as the artist contemplated that Earth and we are one.
This multifaceted exhibition with a cornucopia of visual treasures, too many and all worthy of a mention in this article, is a must-see for any artist. Artist book shows are rare and far fewer in between, and collections such as the ones in museums and major libraries often require a special appointment, making it a lot less accessible to the general public. This is a unique opportunity to engage with such a variety of books in one space and experience a powerful yet underrepresented medium with an expertly crafted throughline contemplating the human condition.
Open Books at Mana Contemporary
Artists: Amy Wilson, Ana Paula Cordeiro, Ann Messner, Anne Muntges, Colleen Topping,
Ernesto Carozzo, Geraldine Neuwirth, Jean Wolff, John O’Connor, Kelly Driscoll, Liz Ndoye, Pol Morton, Renate Aller, Rowan Renee, and Rujuta Rao
Mana Contemporary in collaboration with the Monira Foundation
Curated by Ysabel Pinyol Blasi, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Monira Foundation and Kele McComsey, Director of Mana Contemporary
Exhibition Designed Kele McComsey, Director of Mana Contemporary
On view through July 31, 2025.
About the writer: Anna Shukeylo is an artist, writer, educator, and curator working and living in the New York Metropolitan area. She has written for Artcritical, Painters on Painting, and Art Spiel. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Kean University, NJ, Manchester University, IN, and in group shows at Auxier/Kline, Equity Gallery, Stay Home Gallery, among others. @annashukeylo
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