Book artist and designer Ruchika Nambiar has spent over a decade building a stubbornly interdisciplinary practice that spans graphic design, visual art, miniatures, writing, 

and research. For this AIGA NY evening in The Theater at MAD, Nambiar will take her audience through the journey of combining all these parallel threads into her book design practice. For Nambiar, the “book” is a container that can hold far more than just text and image. From books made of mirrors to books made of water, from invisible secrets to zoomable maps, she will share her form-fluid approach to designing crazy experimental books exploring new relationships between content and form.

Nambiar built an interdisciplinary career and found her creative voice despite never choosing a single medium or style: an experience many in the design community know all too well. Sharing how she learned to document her books, get them into libraries and museums, and fuel self-driven projects, and find new clients, Nambiar will reveal the messy ins and outs of building an experimental creative career. She will also touch upon why artistry is now more important than ever in the age of AI—and how a designer can become a continuously innovating and artistically sought-after creator producing objects that delight and surprise.

About the Artist

Ruchika Nambiar is a book artist, designer and writer who produces experimental, interactive books and stories. She is the creator of The Dollhouse Project (2017-present) that has been featured by Architectural Digest, India Today, and more. Her artist books have been acquired by The Clark Art Institute and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Her upcoming artist book Notes to Self (2026) was awarded a RISCA Make Art Grant. Nambiar is also a researcher who writes on cultural philosophy and media studies, and has written and produced an interactive book, Memes for the Soul (2024). She works on experimental art commissions with brand collaborators such as Samsung and produces limited-edition publications for clients such as the City of Providence. She has delivered talks at TEDxRISD and runs a mentorship program called The Creative Finishing School for young artists and designers. She is an alum of RISD, where she currently also teaches in the Department of Illustration.