Being Human was a website made by Annie Abrahams that ran from 1997 to 2007, and can still be visited via bram.org. And now it’s a book, nicely designed and printed on soft, cream-coloured paper. Abrahams’ art is about language, in all its aspects. Ever since being forced, as a child, to stop speaking the language she grew up with, this has been her main theme.

“Being human is about communication with the other. This other person that one doesn’t know at all, but that should resemble you somewhere and so, will need some reassuring every now and then, too. I asked people to reassure an unknown other.” (Annie Abrahams)

an example from one of the poems:

‘…=var’

tyyfut v hi jlknjln
tyyfut v hi jlknjln
tyyfut v hi jlknjln
tyyfut v hi jlknjln
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnhg tfgug jhu
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnhg tfgug jhu
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnhg tfgug jhu
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnhg tfgug jhu
“(“(“(‘-((è-_èç_à_à èçç_èà_àç_à &”é”é&é&23333
“(“(“(‘-((è-_èç_à_à èçç_èà_àç_à &”é”é&é&23333
“(“(“(‘-((è-_èç_à_à èçç_èà_àç_à &”é”é&é&23333
POURQUOI TU DORS MAL ?
Où es-tu ?
où es-tu , que fais-tu ? qui es-tu ?
où es-tu , que fais-tu ? qui es-tu ?
L’ENNUI
j’espère, peut-être,mais un jour, ou sans doute avant, mais rien n’est moins sur, alors attendre? non!
AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh
reculer
waiting for the deep sleep

Published in 2023, softcover, 160 pages. Introduction is in both english and dutch, poems are in a great diversity of languages.