Rattus Sapiens
On the third day of the Nobody Reads This: Art Book Fair, on Sunday 24 May 2026 at 1 p.m., Maryia Karneyenka will talk about the book Rattus Sapiens, published by TAMAKA publishing house from Berlin.
In her mockumentary project, the Belarusian artist invites the reader to descend into the world of a rat hole, a labyrinth of allusions, references, half-truths, and quasi-scientific evidence. Much of the book's imagery resembles film stills from laboratory experiments, old lithographs of rat-like creatures, and documentary footage of installations and objects whose function remains deliberately obscure. The book's architecture—hidden pages, folds, and semi-transparent papers—is complemented by mini-booklets containing essays by Belarusian writer and journalist Tatsiana Zamirovskaya. The graphic design is by Anna Nałęcka-Milach. The book is nominated for the European Design Awards 2026 and The Most Beautiful German Books Award 2026.
- Maryia Karneyenka
- a visual artist who creates photographs, collages, and mockumentaries. Born in Belarus, she currently lives in Warsaw. She is a member of the Belarusian Photography Platform FSh1. Her multidisciplinary project, Rattus Sapiens, grew out of both her activism and a long-standing fascination with rats. She explores the complex coexistence of the human and nonhuman worlds through photography, collage, sculpture, and illustration.
