Author Archives: Gerald Jatzek

A Book from ancient Egypt

The Book of the Dead was a kind of guide to the underworld where the ancient Egyptians believed the soul went after death. Lots of mumbo-jumbo was meant to protect the deceased from the dangers of the underworld which ranged from starvation to creatures lurking in dark corners on the way to the final judgement.Continue reading “A Book from ancient Egypt”

Exhibiting Kindness

The Comunità La Villetta is a community of foster families. Thus, they are specialists for kindness which is an essential factor for our psychosocial well-being and for the acceptance of differences, and to remember human attitudes such as empathy and tolerance. Artists from America, Asia and Europe followed the call to contribute works that “celebrateContinue reading “Exhibiting Kindness”

About the City

Raphael Nadolny sent an art print titled “comet over the meadows” and two photos with a statement that reads: “A city is a state of mind, a set of customs, attitudes and sentiments, its power can turn against him. The city is becoming independent, out of control. The viscera of Leviathan.” This is an interestingContinue reading “About the City”

Hommage an Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt

Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt (1932-2024) war eine wichtige Persönlichkeit im Bereich der Mail Art und der visuellen Poesie, die aber auch in anderen Bereichen, etwa als Malerin und Zeichnerin, künstlerisch tätig war. Bekannt sind vor allem ihre Typewritings, die sie seit den 1970ern – noch in der DDR – anfertigte. Geoff Cowart charakterisiert diese pointiert: “Wolf-Rehfeldt usedContinue reading “Hommage an Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt”

Zwei Künstler in einem

Rittiner & Gomez ist ein Schweizer Künstler mit zwei Identitäten, was wohl seiner Vielseitigkeit geschuldet ist. Der in Hondrich bei Spiez (etwa 890 Einwohner) lebende Maler, Zeichner, Druckgrafiker und Comiczeichner erstellt auch Collagen und Kleinplastiken. Darüber hinaus zeichnet und schreibt er ein Blog, illustriert Bücher und versendet Mail Art. Eine solche langte kürztlich in WienContinue reading “Zwei Künstler in einem”

A Goodie Bag from Hanna

We recently received mail from the USA: a thick envelope containing a plethora of objects. There were drawings [enlarge] as well as photos from magazines. We found a sketch explaining the function of a dredging boat and some of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous anatomical studies. (Unfortunately, not the originals.) The sender was Hanna Marie DeanContinue reading “A Goodie Bag from Hanna”

Eigentum mit Stil

Aktuelle Exlibris im Schriftmuseum Pettenbach Zwischen 1470 und 1490 wollten zwei geistliche Herren ihren Besitz schützen: Der schwäbische Kartäusermönch Hilprand Brandenburg von Biberach und der hessische Vikar Hanns Igler Knabensberger trauten Freunden, die sich Bücher ausborgten, nicht über den Weg. Deshalb versahen sie die wertvollen Bände mit Eigentumsnachweisen und erfanden so das Exlibris. Weil esContinue reading “Eigentum mit Stil”

Adam’s Stamps

US-based mail artist Adam Roussopoulos has “passion for making artistamps”. Two sheets of his stamps reached Vienna two days ago and were well received by Gabriele and Gerald. The black-and-white stamps are accompanied by three text fragments: Now here comes the creative part for our readers. We’d like you to develop your personal interpretations andContinue reading “Adam’s Stamps”

Beautiful Mandolins

Mandolins are not only fun to play; many are real beauties as you can see here. They form an extensive family of instruments with members in places like Italy, Brazil, India, Greece, the Balkans, the British Isles, the USA and others. They exist in a vast number of shapes, sizes and tunings from the piccolo mandolin’s c’Continue reading “Beautiful Mandolins”

The Rabbitfish

This strange animal recently entered the house via the mailbox. The story goes that is has been bred by Melissa Wand from the FLUXfish group within the International Union of Mail-Artists (IUOMA). The other side of the postcard is designed as a spade nine, formed by a school of spade fish. Thank you, Sil, weContinue reading “The Rabbitfish”

Außergewöhnliches aus Köln

Die Kölner Parasitenpresse ist einer der interessantesten Verlage Deutschlands, nicht zuletzt aufgrund der Anthologien mit Texten aus Dänemark, Griechenland oder Lettland. In der Zeitschrift Etcetera Nr. 93 erschienen zwei Besprechungen aktueller Bände. Poetische Vielfalt Adrian Kasnitz ist zunächst einmal Brückenbauer. Mit der Parasitenpresse stellt er übersetzte Lyrik aus zahlreichen Kulturen vor, darunter auch aus sogenanntenContinue reading “Außergewöhnliches aus Köln”

Photos: A familiar Dancer

My grandmother Margaretha Jatzek gave her debut as a dancer at the Vienna Opera at the age of eight. But times got worse, and classical dance was not the most in-demand profession. Therefore, she joined vaudeville shows under her stage name Gred Bassler to make a living in the 1930s. The advertisement poster for theContinue reading “Photos: A familiar Dancer”

Quotes for Art Lovers, Part 2

What is Mail Art (4) “Well, the idea is that it’s a way to convey a message or a kind of idea to someone which is not verbal; it is not a confrontation of two people It’s an object which is opened in privacy probably and the message is looked at.”Ray Johnson (1968) “The termContinue reading “Quotes for Art Lovers, Part 2”

Art for Surgeries

Jenny Rowbory is a young British woman who suffers from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord). She has been bed-bound for the last sixteen and a half years. In May 2015, Jenny was also diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This genetic disorder causes the body to produce faulty collagen. The biggest problem forContinue reading “Art for Surgeries”