Is This Art? – Baruch Torgeman and the Language of Books

Is This Art? – Baruch Torgeman and the Language of Books

Whenever we ask ‘Is this art?’ we test it against three things: Novelty, Nuance, and Narrative.

Novelty – how original is the work?

Artists have been working with books for a long time. Dada and collage movements played with text. Alicia Martin, the Spanish artist, imagined waves of books crashing out of windows. Anouk Kruithof and Tom Bendtsen turned stacks of books into vast installations. I even remember taking my kids in 2012 to see Saboya and Pupo’s exhibit in London, which was entirely made of books. And Jan Reymond’s gateways showed us how books can literally frame a passage to somewhere new.

But what I love about Baruch Torgeman’s piece is how accessible it feels. These aren’t books abstracted into symbols of knowledge — they still feel bookish, still familiar. They make me want to go read them, which I don’t feel with the other examples. That’s a big win for originality.

I’m going 9/10 for Novelty .

Nuance – how difficult would it be to make?

Well, not very. Baruch himself shows that it’s really just a matter of attaching books to a board. So yes, technically simple. That means I have to give a low score here — maybe 3/10 for Nuance

But remember, the 3 N’s aren’t some elitist scorecard. The point isn’t to disqualify something because it’s easy. They’re a way to open up a conversation. Art doesn’t need to be hard to make, or wildly original, or say something profound — but ideally, it should hit at least two of those three. And if you disagree with me, that’s fine. We’re both equally qualified to have that conversation. What I can’t stand is when people hide behind a fancy vocabulary to sound cleverer than you. That kind of snobbery in the art world gets right on my nerves.

Narrative – what’s the work actually saying?

Always the kicker. And for me, this piece is saying a lot. These books feel personal, like portals into hidden corners of your own story. They carry nostalgia, laughter, dreaming, healing — all the feelings books have given me over a lifetime.

And the fact that anyone could make their own version, using the books that shaped their lives, makes the piece even stronger. It feels like a clarion call to a time when books — and knowledge itself — were celebrated. Bravo, Baruch. For Narrative, it’s a big 10/10 .

One practical note: while the photo is well lit, on a plain white wall this piece risks getting washed out. If you’re making something like this yourself, think about painting the wall behind it. It will frame the work and give it depth.

But overall, this is a big yes from me. Definitely art.

Watch our video on YouTube below

If you’d like to learn more, click ‘get creative’ below to connect with us