Nomka Enkhee’s whimsical cartoons are made up of mundane objects inspired by cursive handwriting

Milwaukee-based artist, sculptor, performer and writer Nomka Enkhee may be able to do a lot of things, but what she does particularly well is draw. Growing up in Mongolia, where handwriting and calligraphy had an immense impact on her, Nomka felt the pressure to write beautifully. Writing in cursive especially influenced Nomka’s drawing style, but how so? You wouldn’t think it when you see Nomka’s characters, simplistic and almost crude, straight-up cartoons, but there’s a functionality in her simplicity that recalls the functionality of proficient handwriting. There’s a graceful and succinct expression of feelings, never striving to over complicate or under represent.

Like cursive writing itself, Nomka’s characters morph and glide between different physicalities – one moment they’re a person, the next they’re made out of a stack of bricks! One moment you’re looking at a horse, the next there’s a pair of protruding nipples. Nomka injects domestic tools into the majority of her drawings, populating them with an endearing mundanity which allows the quiet absurdism of her style to shine against recurring everyday objects. Nomka’s drawings are concerned with Schadenfreude, the German word for joy derived from someone’s failure or downfall – it’s tongue-in-cheek and dry, but it’s also the foundation of most screwball media, which Nomka’s characters firmly fall into, especially her ‘house wifey’ character, a woman who smiles at a cluster of power drills and hammers.

If these drawings don’t feel all that serious to you, then it gets even more playful in Nomka’s work for e.s.r books, her book publishing practice. “When I make work for my practice as an artist, I often think about intricate, complex themes with many moving parts,” says Nomka. “But designing or working with others to publish or create illustrations feels lighter. It’s more playful, fun, and I can exercise a different part of my creativity that I’m passionate about.” No limited to drawings, zines or artist books, Nomka’s work for e.s.r books can extend to object designs, furniture, exhibition spaces too, summoning inspirations from Memphis group designer Nathalie Du Pasquier to director Chantal Akerman. As the publisher’s website says: “We make books – books are sculpture” – further showing Nomka’s belief in mundane objects as things filled with artistic potential.