Bio
Christine Baum is a printmaker whose work reflects training in print studios and experience in libraries and publishing. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Binghamton University, she continued her instruction at the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy Museum and School where she eventually gained opportunities at various studios in New York City. An internship at the New York Public Library Prints and Photographs Department supplemented her studio work with an expanded focus on collection, archives, preservation, and distribution. Baum returned to school for a Masters in Library Science from Queens College, and integrated these academic principles into her printmaking practice. She has exhibited nationally in venues such as the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Artlink Contemporary Gallery, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and 440 Gallery.
Statement
My work is inspired by the relationship between labor and the sublime, where I transform ordinary paper goods into beautiful counterfeits through various printmaking and publishing processes. I create gilded wallpapers for imaginary and nonsensical spaces whose walls require no adornment. The wallpapers are highly detailed and exceptionally carved, and when these block prints cover the walls they pay tribute to the labor involved.
In that liminal space between commerce and the sacred, I also produce my own mass intention cards. I play the role of the clergy as I offer up my silent ceremony for the departed. I do not recite a prayer, nor do I consecrate a mass-manufactured form. I dedicate my time. I create each card by hand; inking and wiping and printing and painting. I note the date and time for each mass intention card and offer up that moment in time. I also harness time in my blind embossment prints. The subtle imagery grows more assertive as it collects dust that flocks the image. I’ve outsourced my role as creator to the passage of time so that the illustration emerges once the dust settles.
It takes a good amount of technical skill to pull off a decent counterfeit, and I hope by highlighting the labor involved I can remind viewers of the magic inherent in the creative process. My pieces deviate from the usual paper goods because I add aesthetics to what is often just utility. I want them to be beautiful as well as cathartic.