Roman Klonek
161
2
_On the amazement of the foreign and the desire to tell stories_ _by Wilfried Köpke Wilfried Köpke is professor for journalism at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover. He also works as an editor, freelance journalist and author (ARD, ARTE, DIE ZEIT).
_A few years ago, Roman Klonek travelled to Japan and stayed in Tokyo for two weeks. He cannot speak or read Japanese. He let himself drift through the city, he allowed himself to get lost and feel good about it, he even felt joy in not understanding, in his illiteracy in relation to the street signs that he could not read, in the strangeness that could not be resolved because he did not understand the sign system.
_This astonishment at the world he encounters is reflected in his works, and as a viewer I feel the same when contemplating his woodcuts. I think I recognize the content of the pictures, but then I can’t read the script, or the dog has a mouth that I don’t recognize, or elements appear in the picture that don’t seem to belong, like the white skull, the white rat and the wolf in the paradise-coloured triptych. Vanitas and memento mori – quotations from art history. It is the error of first sight. What initially seems so captivating, familiar and decipherable deserts and confuses you upon an attempt at translation. Lost in translation. _Roman Klonek’s works reflect his background in visual communication studies with a focus on printmaking, as does his love of graphic novels, comics, manga, and Eastern European animated films, which his father would sometimes show him on Super 8 films while still in his native Poland. The works are bold: they follow the rules of image composition as well as the written integration of the drawn stories, and they use a formal language that is clear in detail.
4
5 5
Subjective_ _Roman Klonek’s final works are, as I have already indicated, snapshots of stories. One wonders what the wolf will do to the girl next, what will happen when the Jeff Koonslike cat gets up, when the monsters jump, what the mouse wants from the pin-up girl, and what the creatures are that populate Roman Klonek’s visual world. They are subjective fantasy products, created from observations of this world, put together and given to the viewer. And although they are very different, they bear traces of the bizarre and the ironic. They seem far away from our everyday life and yet so close to it: information about caterpillars in organic 10
vegetables, wiretapping and the logging of our personal data, the overwhelming nature of advertising, the boring smoothness of bikini girls, and the dull showing off of men with their clubs. _Many things are exaggerated. Japanese and Russian scripts are incomprehensible to many people and can therefore serve as projection surfaces, as can the figures in the images, which in recent years have become increasingly surreal, imaginative, open to projection. The ‘joy of incomprehension’ that Roman Klonek experienced in Tokyo can thus be contagious for the viewer, reflecting the viewer’s own interaction with his prints.
11
22
23
24
25
26
27
32
33
44
45
48
49
50
51
58
59
60
61
64
65
72
hier neue Bilder
73
88
89
96
97
98
99
100
101
104
105
122
123
138
139
148
149
P. 20 / Glen 2018 / 49.5 × 49.5 cm edition of 5 / woodcut
P. 6 / Girl from Miyazak 2012 / 49.4 × 69.8 cm edition of 8 / woodcut Cover / Bold cuts of whim and fashion 2016 / 69.6 × 83.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
Front cover flap Fad of the land 2013 / 3 × 69 × 96 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 14 / Ready 2012 / 25 × 32 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 28 / Winter in Paris 2011 / 34.9 × 47.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 21 / Burning eyes 2018 / 49.8 × 62 cm edition of 8 /woodcut
P. 7 / Slackly performance 2018 / 34 × 42 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 15 / Dogchurch 2017 / 34.3 × 43.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 22 / Tonto 2004 / 49.5 × 49.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 8 / Friendly Radar 2017 / 66 × 50 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 28 / Souta mouse 2017 / 34.6 × 42.8 cm edition of 8 /woodcut
P. 2 / Above the city 2 2014 / 49.4 × 66.7 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 16 / King of the sea 2016 / 34.4 × 39.6 cm edition of 5 / woodcut P. 23 / Imaginary friend 2017 / 33.9 × 41.8 cm edition of 8 / linocut
P. 11 / Tverskaja Street 2017 / 49 × 63.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 4 / Miyazaki sunset 2015 / 49 × 68 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 12 / Kuma 2010 / 45 × 69.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 18 / You can have it all! 2012 / 22 × 32 cm edition of 8 /woodcut
P. 5 / In your room 2018 / 68.2 × 86.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
154
P. 17 / Last of its kind 2016 / 33 × 42 cm edition of 4 / linocut
P. 14 / Odessa 2008 / 49 × 68 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 29 / Arizona 2018 / 36 × 41.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 30 / Leto 2019 / 35 × 44 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 23 / Got worms, got dots / 2018 38.4 × 49.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 32 / Dear good riddance / 2015 3 × 55 × 94.7 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 24 / Alltogether now 2015 / 69 × 99.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 39 / Keep the faith museum / 2019 69 × 90 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 52 / Of course 2009 / 24 × 32 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 34 / Vitamine 2018 / 31.1 × 41.7 cm edition of 8 /woodcut P. 45 / Very suspicious 2016 / 32.6 × 40 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 52 / I haven‘t started yet / 2009 / 27 × 34 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 41 / It all happens here 2009 / 68.9 × 54.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 57 / Lucky cat 2010 / 35.7 × 48.3 cm edition of 8 /woodcut
P. 46 / Tiger with blue nose / 2008 49.2 × 63.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 34 / Daiki 2017 / 33 × 42 cm edition of 8 / linocut
P. 53 / Flux Gate Kasachok / 2009 61.3 × 99.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 42 / Parade 2010 / 9.3 × 62.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 35 / Cloud cuckoo wobble / 2016 33.7 × 41.3 cm edition of 5 / linocut
P. 56 / Shōtōkan Karate School / 2014 49.6 × 58 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 59 / Back to Sapporo 2014 / 38.8 × 48 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 49 / Follow Spunky 2018 / 42 × 50 cm edition of 8 /woodcut P. 54 / Crooks along the shore / 2012 99 × 67.8 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 44 / Training diaries 2019 / 35.8 × 47.1 cm edition of 8 /woodcut P. 37 / Coming home 2019 / 49.8 × 61 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 60 / Straight play 2014 / 32.6 × 45.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 50 / Le tigre 2013 / 26.1 × 30.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 55 / Chinese porcelain 2017 / 33.3 × 43.3 cm edition of 8 / linocut
P. 44 / Next in the row 2020 / 27 × 32 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 38 / Higher stakes 2020 / 50.1 × 64.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 51 / Skull 2011 / 26 × 32 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 55 / Keep on running 2013 / 42 × 31.1 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 61 / j_j_x_x_ 2010 / 68.8 × 92 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
155
P. 116 / Taganrok 2013 / 99.4 × 65.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 122 / Doy 2011 / 49.2 × 63.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 137 / In the rough 2013 / 49.2 × 65.2 cm edition of 20 / woodcut P. 144 / The explorer 2011 / 49 × 64 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 129 / Woodpenny dreads from the East / 2012 / 49 × 65.8 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 117 / Yuzu jam 2014 / 69 × 91.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 119 / Funky beach 2014 / 69 × 91.4 cm edtion of 8 / woodcut
P. 120 / In your eyes 2018 / 42 × 50 cm edition of 6 / woodcut
P. 138 / Wildcat 2015 / 34.4 × 40.6 cm edition of 10 / woodcut
P. 123 / Ratibor 2010 / 48.9 × 65.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 145 / Shady groves 2014 / 49.4 × 67.8 cm edition of 15 / woodcut
P. 130 / Huba 2018 / 49.5 × 49.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 138 / Helmet 2011 / 24 × 32 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 126 / Knack 2009 / 49 × 67 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 131 / Welcome home 2012 / 39 × 46.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 126 / Tropic 2009 / 49 × 67 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 145 / Tranquillo 2012 / 33.7 × 42.4 cm edition of 20 / woodcut
P. 141 / Stoboscube 2015 / 69 × 93.7 cm edition of 5 / woodcut P. 132 / Bold cuts of whim and fashion / 2016 69.6 × 83.5 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 146 / Bruce / 2009 / 31.5 × 40.3 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 142 / The observer 2012 / 68.8 × 47.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 121 / Oh Vienna 2018 / 96 × 85.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
158
P. 127 / The gardener 2010 / 49 × 66 cm edition of 8 / woodcut P. 136 / Otchakiw 2017 / 34.9 × 45.5 cm edition of 12 / woodcut
P. 146 / Old rabbit dear 2011 / 33.4 × 35.4 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
Imprint_ P. 147 / Dog of the year 2016 / 32.6 × 40 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
P. 148 / Running up the tsukijama hill / 2013 69 × 45.4 cm edition of 6 / woodcut
Slanted Publishers UG (haftungsbeschränkt) Nebeniusstraße 10 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany T +49 (0) 721 85148268 info@slanted.de slanted.de @slanted_publishers © Slanted Publishers,Karlsruhe, 2021 Nebeniusstraße 10, 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany © Artworks by Roman Klonek © Design by Eva Sieben & Robert Bürgel All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-3-948440-19-0 Artist: Roman Klonek Text: Wilfried Köpke
P. 148 / Kalej 2016 / 35.7 × 39.6 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
Design & Cover: Eva Sieben, sieben-design.de Robert Bürgel, buerobuergel.de Publishing Direction: Lars Harmsen, Julia Kahl Print: Stober Medien GmbH, Eggenstein
P. 149 / Last day of a summer / 2019 50 × 60 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
Fotocredits: Eva Sieben: Page 9, 26, 27, 74, 124, portrait back cover Roman Klonek: Page 8, 9, 32, 33, 36, 48, 58, 65, 80, 81, 88, 98, 104, 114, 115, 118, 128, 133, 140, 150, 151, 152 Galerie 143: Page 10
Disclaimer: No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy or any storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
P. 153 / Dressed for tricks 2019 / 69.5 × 90 cm / edition of 8 / woodcut
Back cover flap / Balagan sessions / 2015 3 × 68.4 × 99.2 cm edition of 8 / woodcut
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Natio nalbibliothek. The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie, detailed bibliographic data is available online at dnd.d-nb.de. Slanted Publishers was founded in 2014 by Lars Harmsen and Julia Kahl. They edit and publish the award-winning blog and print magazine Slanted, giving an inside view into the international design and creative scenes. In addition, Slanted initiates and creates design-related projects and publications. Its design is vibrant and inspiring—its philosophy open-minded, tolerant, and curious. 159
Roman Klonek, born in 1969 in Katowice/Poland, has a passion for wood printing and old-fashioned cartoons, especially for Eastern European styles. He has been printing images with a variety of bizarre creatures and shapes for 20 years. Roman Klonek lives and works in Düsseldorf.