JUROR
Isobelle Ouzman is a British artist raised in Washington State, USA, now living and working in Europe.
Ouzman graduated from Tacoma School of the Arts in 2010 and has been creating book art ever since, combining paper carving and illustration to create 3-dimensional stories within the pages of discarded novels, journals, and sketchbooks. Her altered books are a testament to the value of slow, purposeful work - gluing, carving, and illustrating through hundreds of pages over many weeks and months at a time. Her dedication to working with books stems from both her love for reading (from fairytales to psychology and everything in between) and her genuine connection to others through storytelling. She aims to highlight the value of books as an object, in addition to the transformative nature of narrative.
Her work has been exhibited in the USA and Slovakia, featured in magazines such as Hi-Fructose, Colossal, and My Modern Met, and can be found in private collections worldwide. https://isobelleouzman.com
Juror’s Statement – Isobelle Ouzman
Altered books and book art continue to push the boundaries of what it means to tell a story and the ways we can give form to narrative. Reviewing the submissions for Bound & Unbound VIII has been a beautiful reminder of this power, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to act as juror in the 2025 exhibition.
The amount of entries received speaks to the impact of this growing art form. Each submission was truly rich in creativity and imagination, making the selection process an inspiring, yet challenging task. The entries I chose for this exhibition stood out to me as pieces that explore the theme of storytelling and experimentation, as well as pieces that challenge the capabilities of books and paper as material. My own view on altered book art has been expanded through this experience and I’m proud to see how far this type of work is reaching.
A sincere thank you to all the artists who submitted artwork to this year’s call. It is my greatest hope that you continue to create and experiment with book art and that this medium continues to evolve.