RATTUS SAPIENS by Maryia Karneyenka, published by TAMAKA

Maryia’s "Rattus Sapiens" is a multi-layered book—or rather, a multi-tunneled one.

A line of visual narration unfolds in the style of a tale, mirrored, two-way, and looped, as we begin and end with the same pair of images—as if the story moves in circles.

Read forward, the tale begins with humans worshipping and fearing nature, and the other beings of the animal kingdom to which they belong. Then come taming, dualism, and alienation. But if read from the last to the first page, the story turns into a return—a descent, a rediscovery of myth, a reunion. It is a story that belongs equally to both rats and humans.

Two beautiful texts by Tatsiana accompany this passage, each expanding the space through which we wander—down, down, down the rat’s hole.

The book’s physical form adds another layer to its storytelling. The classical, linear rhythm of turning pages is pierced and burrowed through. Between the thin edges of the paper, “pocket-pages” slide in, splitting and branching the narrative. Maryia’s delicate drawings of rat burrows are literally layered on semi-transparent folded sheets, cutting through the rhythm of the pages in their signatures. Throughout, there are echoes and reflections between images and colours.

The haptics, too, become part of the tale. The cover’s wool-based paper pricks softly against your fingers, like a rat’s fur. The main paper is 100% recycled, with a warm natural shade, tiny specks, and a slightly “whiskered” look. The format of the book is small and elongated—just right to hold close.