Asemic Poetry

“Asemic writing is a form of wordless writing, a visual variation of marks resembling text, where the creator combines expressions of visual art, conceptual art, and literature.

Through asemic poetry, I explore the unspeakable. How the meanings of text not based on rationality are conveyed through rhythm, movement and space, as well as what emotions it evokes. I investigate this by working with letterpress, as well as painting with Indian ink and creating works from selected materials using mixed media techniques”

Kirsi-Marja Moberg

In mixed-media works, I play with light and reflection. The surface of the pieces appears like a holographic image that transforms when viewed from different angles. It’s as if they are smoke signals that change according to the viewer’s own movement. Additionally, in these works, I also explore asemic writing through natural materials. In one reflective piece, the asemic writing is constructed from tree branches.

The letterpress prints I have made using old printing presses and punctuation marks from recycled typesets. I am fascinated by the sequences of punctuation marks, resembling a kind of code. The rhythm and size of the type create a composition on paper that imitates text but communicates through non-semantic meanings.
I call my works asemic poems, but I want to leave it up to the viewer to interpret what the works represent, communicate, or achieve.

Letterpress print, 2024.
Letterpress print, 2024.
Lost / Found – asemic artworks, Kotka Art Biennale, 2024.
Asemic artworks, Gadrioru Galerii, Tallin, 2024.
Lost / Found – asemic artworks, Kotka Art Biennale, 2024.

Kirsi-Marja Moberg (M.A.) works extensively in the fields of visual art and poetry. In her asemic mixed-media and letterpress works, she combines visual art and poetry through the lens of melancholy. In recent years, Moberg has participated in several professional exhibitions and collaborative art projects.

Her works were showcased in 2024 at Estonian Painters’ Association gallery Gadrioru Galerii in Tallinn and at Gallery Uusikuva during the Kotka Art Biennial.

Artist behind of Asemic Poetry:

Kirsi-Marja Moberg