I am very excited to share that my first book, The Art of Less – An Exploration of Essence, created in collaboration with Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects, was published today.
This book means a lot to me, as it is the result of many years of exploration, research, and passion for an aesthetic that has stayed with me for a long time. When I founded Aesence over ten years ago, it was guided by a simple conviction: that art with a minimalist aesthetic is not a style but a way of perceiving. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to promote and celebrate this aesthetic and to show how rich, nuanced, and powerful it can be. Too often contemporary art with a reduced visual language is still viewed solely through the lens of the Minimal Art movement of the 1960s. Yet for me – and for so many of the artists I have spoken with – reduction is never merely formal. It is a way to get closer to the essence of a work.
That is why I am all the more delighted that my inquiry over the past years has led to The Art of Less. Together with Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects – whose work has significantly shaped contemporary minimalism in architecture and design – we have developed a book that brings together 20 artists, designers, and architects demonstrating how diverse a minimalist practice can be. Organized into five chapters – Balance, Rhythm, Contrast, Space, and Materiality – the book offers different perspectives through which these works can be experienced.
For me, this book is an invitation: to look more closely, to resist the impulse to interpret too quickly, and to engage with works that do not need to be loud to resonate. It is neither a manifesto nor a definitive answer but an exploration shaped by conversations, observations, and deep admiration for the artists, designers, and architects featured in this book. I hope it inspires you to discover reduction not as absence but as a profound form of presence.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this book – the artists, designers, architects, galleries, photographers, and all those who supported it along the way.
Authors: Norm Architects & Aesence
Design and Art Direction: Christian Møller Andersen
Editor and Writer: Emily Nathan
Copy Editor: Tracy Rothschild Lynch
Published by Gestalten
The book is available in Europe since September 1 and will be available worldwide starting October 6.
The book is available for purchase via gestalten.
