Plog - the Puttbill_Blog
Monologue
One way to read the poem ‚Monologue‘ by Claus Maywald is to interpret it as a futile attempt by this family man to initiate a dialog with a daughter who has passed away. At least that is what the poem’s title does suggest to us. At first glance, his quest for her and for spaces of remembrance only seems to reinforce the grief. However, there is also a sense that solace might be found in those spaces. This is not an easy path to take, as becomes palpable to the reader as well. The feeling of personal loss is intense throughout the text – and yet every word is universal and concerns all of us. This is not because we share this loss (or because we are mortal as well). In reading the poem, we may rather venture on the task of commiserating and approaching the world of emotions that follows the passing of a loved one. Many people want nothing to do with that. Sooner or later, however, the day comes … and it is good to know that the experience of grief work has been given poetic form here.
Collaborating with the author, the artist Felix Pestemer has accepted and absorbed the challenges posed by this text. The six large-format drawings he created for Claus Maywald’s ‘Monologue’ are striking “windows” to the above-mentioned worlds situated between the great beyond and the here and now, spaces where time stands still and where we may have encounters with the ghosts of the dead. Texts and illustrations are combined into an artistic ensemble the like of which does not exist in the sphere of overcoming grief.
Since August 2017, the drawings have been part of the collection of the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel. The first exhibition is scheduled for late 2018.
Pencil and ink on paper laid down on canvas, 200 x 100 cm
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The 9th Art
The latest works of 13 contemporary comic artists who have received national and international accolades are being shown at the Horst-Janssen-Museum in Oldenburg, with drawings by the German pioneer Hans Hillmann serving as introduction to the topic of the graphic novel. The exhibition is not mainly concerned with presenting printed drawings or finished books. Rather, the main focus here is on the original drawings and on the process of creating these works. Visitors will learn about the very individual approaches the artists take toward their projects and how diverse their tools, signatures, narrative styles and techniques are.
The graphic novels shown in this exhibition do not only represent a wide variety of styles but also of topics. They tell stories of all kinds of momentous experiences, everyday drama and personal trauma. Small-scale disasters are entangled with global political convulsions. Topics include both historical events and current developments in society. Biographic and autobiographic material stands next to examinations of the classics of world literature and to comics designed as journalistic explorations.
Artists: Anke Feuchtenberger, Anna Haifisch, Barbara Yelin, Birgit Weyhe, Felix Pestemer, Hans Hillmann, Isabel Kreitz, Jakob Hinrichs, Lukas Jüliger, Max Baitinger, Olivier Kugler, Reinhard Kleist, Simon Schwartz, Ulli Lust
The exhibition is part of the cooperation "The 9th Art" with the Town Museum Oldenburg and the Edith-Russ-Haus for Media Art.
Horst-Janssen-Museum Oldenburg
Am Stadtmuseum 4-8
26121 Oldenburg
(Google Maps-Link)
Admin:
Telefon 0441 235-2891
Fax 0441 235-3350
info@horst-janssen-museum.de
Counter:
Telefon 0441 235-2885
Sin Nombre
The 'Día de los Muertos', as celebrated by the Museum of Sepulchral Culture, has become a highlight of cultural life in Kassel and far beyond. This year, the event is dedicated to the many people to the nameless dead, who have vanished at Mexico's borders and at every border in the world. This theme is reflected in two works designed for the occasion: a masterpiece of a cake by Bianca Maciejewski’s pie manufactory that is both morbid and thought-provoking and an installation next to the "Cantina sin Nombre" by Felix Pestemer, Berlin.
The festival is being kicked off at 5 p.m. in the afternoon by workshops for the old and the young. Photos by artist Alejandro Gutiérrez will also be exhibited; they provide insight into the traditions and celebrations at Mexican cemeteries on the "Day of the Dead". Works by artist Magda Hildebrand are on display as well. The Mexican dish of skulls made of sugar have inspired several of her paintings and a skull sculpture that combines wire with frosting. Finally, visitors may approach the large "Ofrenda", an altar for the dead, and deposit a small token of remembrance there for relatives who have passed away.
In addition to art, cultural history and confectionery, visitors can look forward to music, dances and culinary specialties from Mexico. Performers include the mariachi band “Sol Latino” from Berlin and the dance group "Xanat" of the "Mexikofreunde in Göttingen" society
Día de los Muertos at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum
This year, the Day of the Dead will not just be celebrated in Mexico but also at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne. The opening of an altar designed by artists Liliana Cobos and Rosaana Velasco will be accompanied by a cultural program. Visitors can look forward to two performances by the dance group „Viva México en Düsseldorf“, a talk given by Felix Pestemer on his graphic novel 'The Dust of the Ancestors' and a screening of the animated film “The Book of Life” by Jorge Gutiérrez.
Program:
Opening of the altar 2 p.m.
Dance group „Viva México en Düsseldorf“ 2:20 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.
Talk on „The Dust of the Ancestors“ by Felix Pestemer 3:10 to 4 p.m.
Animated film „The Book of Life“ by Jorge Gutiérrez 4:15 to 17:50 p.m.
Download the program flyer here
Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum – Kulturen der Welt
Cäcilienstr. 29-33, 50667 Köln
Tel.: +49-221-22131356
E-Mail: rjm@stadt-koeln.de
www.museenkoeln.de/rjm
www.rjmkoeln.de
'Die Schraube' (The Screw) in Frankfurt
Thursday, September 28th, 2017
Start of the presentation: 7 p.m.
Instituto Cervantes
Staufenstraße 1
60323 Frankfurt am Main
To register use: culturales@consulmexfrankfurt.org
If you wish to attend, please inform us in a timely manner as seating is limited.
-Wine, beer and Mexican tapas add the final touch to this literary evening.
"There is something within us that connects us to the rest of the world: an essence that constitutes our core and that we cannot shake off. The intention of Álamos Publishing is to make these connections visible – by way of diverse artistic positions and sentiments. We want to share fresh and innovative ideas with our readers that will open our eyes to the fact that we are in the right place at the right time to fully appreciate the abundance of regional cultures in our globalized world." - Álamos
German voice "The Screw": Christian Gaul (actor)
German voice "Postlom": Christian Gaul (actor)
Robin Jahnke and Felix Pestemer, author and illustrator of "The Screw", respectively, will attend the event