Maarit Mustonen’s artist book, titled Plural, contains excerpts derived from a gathering of nine individuals, all named Maarit Mustonen. The artist, Maarit Mustonen, orchestrated this specific meeting in Helsinki in 2016. The book documents this collective experience through fragments of thoughts.

The text fragments are excerpts from interviews conducted in collaboration with linguists. In the long leporello book, the thoughts and experiences of nine individuals sharing the same name converge and intermingle.

This small-sized book can be read by holding it in one’s hands or fully unfolded. On the reverse side of the text pages, a crafted marbling pattern unfolds, capturing the trace of a lengthy and meandering movement.

Plural was published as part of COUPLING, an exhibition by Maarit Mustonen and Vlatka Horvat in June 2023 at PUBLICS, Helsinki.

Maarit Mustonen (b. 1986 Vantaa, FI) is a Helsinki based artist who works with text, image, installation, performance and publishing. Language and communication are central themes to her work. She is a co-founder of Multipöly, a collective focusing on experimental publishing. Her recent exhibitions include: Forum Box (Helsinki), PUBLICS (Helsinki), Pitted Dates (Helsinki), Zilberman Gallery (Istanbul), Angewandte Innovation Lab (Vienna) and Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

Plural
Maarit Mustonen
Multipöly, 2023

110 x 170 mm, 56 pp, English
Offset-printed leporello with cloth-covered folder

English translations: Eve Lahikainen
Graphic design: Pauliina Nykänen
Printing: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoda
Book binding: Esko Salonen Master bookbinder

ISBN 978-952-65122-1-1