art books
"Cloud Book" (2022/ 2023) work in progress
„Cloud Book“, / „Wolkenbuch“, pencil, 400 pages
"STADT der WÖRTER" / "CITY of WORDS" (2020) and "speziFISH" (2021)
"spezIFISH" (2021)
„speziFISH“
See also the publisher website: www.verlag-hubert-kretschmer.de
See also book review in „Signatures“ from 29.08.2022: www.signaturen-magazin.de
„speziFISH“ was nominated by the Bavarian State Library for the international artist’s book prize „Prix Bob Calle du livre d’artiste 2023“.
Text images from the book "speziFISH"
STADT der WÖRTER / CITY of WORDS (2020)
The book „City of Words“ is an artistically arranged dictionary of a special kind. It strings together compound nouns, without punctation, spaces or sentance structure, weaving them into manifold creatively composed text formations. The idea for this goes back to the author’s interest in architectural theory and city history during her lengthy career as an architect. The theme of this work is, literally, the vocabulary of a city.
Art books of compound nouns, in which the latter word repeats the same term, mirror architectural forms and lay out of a city. Columns, squares or rectangular wall surfaces are „constructed“ with words. The
spherical surface on the title page refers tot he optimal form of early cities whereas a circle divided by a “street crossing“ formally represents the city quarters.
Urban life is depicted in geometric, amorphous or or figurative text images: a tree, a wing or a head, for example. Some text blocks „grow“ grow from page to page and become a moving image when thumbed quickly.other pages are completely filled with text disregarding margins. In all of them the second noun in bold type provides rhythmic patterns fort he text image andcasts optical folds onto it’s fabric.
In the book „City of Words“ the power of language in all it’s magic is subtily manifested. The prayer wheel like repitition of identical endings can induce a sense of flowing, elicit contemplation or trance – ment in a sensitive reader.
See also the publisher website: www.verlag-hubert-kretschmer.de
„STADT der WÖRTER“ / „CITY of WORDS“
Text images from the book "STADT der WÖRTER" / "CITY of WORDS"
THE FOUR ELEMENTS, text image from „CITY of WORDS“
The text-circle area of the cover refers to the optimal shape of early city layouts, while the segments divided by a „street cross“ refer to the emergence of the first four city districts (quarters).
"Zaubersprüche" / "Incantations" (2019 - 2023 updating)
„Zaubersprüche“ / „incantations“
Album "German compound words" (2019 - 2022 updating)
"Schnittstelle SZ / "Interface SZ" (2021)
When forming compound words in German, an „SZ“ often appears between the two nouns. The combination of letters is also found in my last name. With the excessive extraction of such composites from the media and assembled into cloud-like formations, I set a memento for the SZ in this issue.
Text images from the booklet "Schnittstelle SZ / Interface SZ"
"Komposita" / Notebook with German compound words (2019 - 2023 updating)
"CALENDAR" (2019 - 2023 updating)
"ZAUBERSPRÜCHE" / "INCANTATIONS" (2019 - 2023 UPDATING)
"Schwarze Malerei" / "Black Paintings" (1980 - 1990)
„Red Book“, / „Rotes Buch“, pencil, 200 pages, 21 x 29 cm
"STADT der WÖRTER" (2020)
„STADT der WÖRTER“ thematisiert wortwörtlich das “Vokabular“ der Stadt. Als ein Wörterbuch der anderen Art reiht es zusammengesetzte Wörter ohne Satz- und Leerzeichen aneinander und verwebt sie mit kompositorischer Ordnungsliebe zu vielfältigen Textformationen. Die Idee zu dem Buch geht zurück auf meine Auseinandersetzung mit der Architekturtheorie und Stadtgeschichte während meiner langjährigen Tätigkeit als Architektin.
Das urbane Leben in der Stadt geben – nach Art konkreter Poesie – geometrische, amorphe, oder figurativ gestaltete Textseiten (u.a. Baum, Flügel und verschiedene Wolkenformationen) wieder. In allen rhythmisiert das zweite, jeweils fett gedruckte Kompositawort das Textbild und wirft optische Falten in das Textgewebe.
Die Künstlerbücher wurden in der Ausstellung „Super BOOKS“ 2021 und 2022 im Haus der Kunst in München gezeigt.
Ankauf von „Stadt der Wörter“ und „speziFISH“ durch das Lyrik Kabinett, München
Siehe auch Verlagsseite: www.verlag-hubert-kretschmer.de
"SpezIFISH" (2021)
„speziFISH“ : The artist Stefania Kuszlik selects words from mass media which she then catalogues according to word compounds such as suffixes or other linguistic units (morphemes). She avidly collects acronyms and suffixes ending with the same letter. As a result of a mindfully arranged succession of words and their semantic implications a certain framework becomes apparent.
In the artbook “speziFISH“ the accent always lies on the end syllable which, as commonly known, regulates the rhythm in poetry. Dante’s verses from the Divine Comedy, in which repeated suffixes create rhymes, served as one source of inspiration for the artist.
In most languages there are nouns or adjectives with identical end syllables. This book exemplifies this universal element, by means of 20 different languages in an outstanding fashion. Garnered words are strung together in rows, chainlike without spaces, often in cloud like formations. Some compositions evoke images: a head, a circle, a kidney or an orchestra, creating associations with so-called visual or concrete poetry. The bold print of the constantly recurring word endings become a random structural element in the text fabric which, especially in the full-page texts, produce an iridescent flickering effect.
In her text images the artist perceives a visual equivalent to minimalistic music with it’s repetitive base sound as a central formative tool. In both cases repetitive rhythmic patterns serve as a fundamental aesthetic category.
In principle the manifold art works of the artist, such as paintings, videos or word games, all reflect her search for magic. This search flares up momentarily in the artist’s text images as well as in the monotone repetitive staccato of minimalistic music.
In „speziFISH“ werden Wörter mit jeweils gleichen Endungen aus dem Deutschen und 25 weiteren Sprachen in meist wolkenförmigen Textbildern präsentiert. Eine Inspiration waren mir Dantes Verse in der Göttlichen Komödie, wo gleiche Endsilben dem Reim dienen. Die fettgedruckten und sich ständig wiederholenden Wortendungen in „speziFISH“ verleihen dem Textgewebe zudem einen irisierenden Effekt.
In meinen Textbildern sehe ich ein visuelles Äquivalent zur Minimal Music, in der ein repetetiver Grundklang das zentrale Gestaltungsmittel darstellt. Hier wie dort blitzt eine Magie in dem Stakkato monotoner Wiederholungen auf.
Siehe auch Buchbesprechung unter „Signatures“ vom 29.08.2022: www.signaturen-magazin.de
„speziFISH“ wurde von der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek für dien internationalen Künstlerbuchpreis „Prix Bob Calle du livre d’artiste 2024“ nominiert.