Sex Works by Ester Kärkkäinen (Himukalt)

Sex Works is a limited-edition, 250-page collection of collages and photography made by Ester Kärkkäinen--known to noise music aficionados the world over as Himukalt.

In her early twenties, Himukalt was a stripper in various clubs in and around Reno, Nevada. This experience has informed her acclaimed musical work, made using a palette of noise, voice, and electronics. Since 2016, she has released over a dozen albums on labels such as Tesco Organisation, Total Black, Malignant Records, Found Remains, Old Europa Cafe, and Foul Prey.

The Himukalt project is not only a sonic one, though. She is also interested in the visual replication and reproduction of the body. In her art practice, this interest often emerges in the form of collaged photography or xerox art.

Some of this art has been packaged with her albums, and some has appeared on her Instagram or in the long-running multi-media project Sex Worker. But now she's compiled the best pieces into a book-length archival collection, Sex Works.

Sex Works contains hundreds of photographs and collages, dozens of self-portraits, album art for all existing Himukalt releases, and other ephemera.

It also contains a wealth of contextualizing material, including interviews conducted with Andrew Fletcher and Richard Stevenson; essays by Brayden Turenne and Jade XX; and a foreword by Other Subjects.

You can see more of Ester’s work at @himukalt.esterkarkkainen on Instagram.