GRAVITY AND OTHER SUBSTANCES

An illustrated exploration of intangible elements of daily life.

Imagine if concepts were embodied physically—what might they look like? This translated title from Colombian artist Liévano invites readers to consider the unseen, using images to convey insights into five abstract parts of life: happiness, memories, dreams, gravity, and reality. The full-color artwork, sometimes formatted in comic panels, sometimes taking up a full page or a two-page spread, is accompanied by brief, enigmatic statements that invite readers to reflect; for example, “The impossible purpose of memories is to fill a gap that can never be filled…and is forever filling up.” These statements seem to ask readers not necessarily to fully understand or even agree with the author but to consider everyday ideas in a new light or from a different angle. Rereading this work will bring deeper insights and connection. The abstracted silhouettes of solid-colored, male-presenting figures convey a calm consideration of ideas and relationships, without emotional intensity or a dramatic narrative. Liévano’s color palette and artistic styles vary, from solid red, yellow, orange, blue, black, and white forms and lines that evoke a surreal landscape for happiness to diffuse, ethereal shapes on cream, white, and black backgrounds for memories. Fans of graphic design, or those fond of Edwin A. Abbott’s 1884 classic, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, will likely enjoy this unique investigation of the impalpable.

Spare text and intriguing illustrations bring this philosophical contemplation to life.