Roman Klonek

Where people once quickened their pace, they now stop and look. Since August 2022, Düsseldorf has had a new cultural highlight: Pretty Wall Bilk. In the underpass of Bilk S-Bahn station, ten urban artists present their work. An inhospitable place that everyone tried to pass through as quickly as possible has become a gallery in public space.A Gallery in PassingThe new open-air museum showcases a broad spectrum of contemporary urban positions: figurative alongside abstract works, ranging from graffiti and street art to urban art and Graffuturism. Today, passers-by stop on their way to work or to the shops and take a moment to enjoy the art.Five Years to the First BrushstrokeWe first had the idea for a gallery in the underpass back in 2017. But good things take time, and it took another five years before it could be realised. Bureaucratic hurdles, permits to paint the walls and pillars, the search for funding and many other less exciting tasks all had to be tackled before the project could finally get underway in 2022. Even before the first brushstroke touched the wall, the project idea was honoured with the Urbanana Award from Tourismus NRW.Finding the artists was quick. Alexis "Bust" Stephens, ARDIF, Demon, L.E.T., Marc C. Woehr, Roman Klonek, Oliver "MAGIC" Räke, SKIO, Théo Lopez and Top Notch contributed their artistic ideas, brought them to the walls and turned Pretty Wall Bilk into reality.From the Wall to the GalleryFor THE PRETTY WALL SHOW, we invited all the artists involved in the project to show their latest studio works. Like the works in the underpass, the selection in the gallery offers an excellent overview of the breadth of contemporary urban art. On show are paintings, mixed-media installations and drawings."THE PRETTY WALL SHOW"Exhibition 14 October – 25 November 2022Opening Friday, 14 October 2022, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Anyone who opens a magic box never quite knows what will emerge. Almost three years after his last solo exhibition at Pretty Portal, Roman Klonek opens his and conjures up a wonderful collection of new works.Dreamlike WorldsRoman Klonek's images draw us into intoxicating, dreamlike worlds in which he tells stories of fabulous creatures and anthropomorphic figures. His narratives lead us into fluffy, absurd landscapes and fill us with joyful astonishment time and again. Text elements in scripts that are unfamiliar to most of us, which Roman tongue-in-cheek calls "weirdness amplifiers", round off his compositions.The Art of the WoodcutBut it is not only Roman's visual worlds that are something special. The woodcut process he uses to create his works also stands out and invites us to look at them more than once.The ArtistBorn in Katowice, Poland, in 1969, the artist studied visual communication at the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf in the early 1990s. He graduated under Harald Fuchs with a series of woodcuts that laid the foundation for his further development. In spirit, he feels connected to artists such as Fyodor Khitruk, Zdeněk Miler, Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami. He has gained experience not only in unconventional character design, but also as founder of the non-profit gallery Revolver in Düsseldorf, as a visiting professor in Mainz and as a lecturer in printmaking at the University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg. Numerous solo and group exhibitions in Germany and abroad keep his fingers warm for drawing and carving in his Düsseldorf studio.Lost in Print Text by Raiko OldenettelWhat is written remains. Roman Klonek knows this and likes to take notes. That these notes do not consist of words may be a result of his working process. His pool of ideas consists of sketches, small variations of figures and forms, abstractions drawn from cartoons and otherworldly realms. These notes do not look backwards or reminisce; instead, in constant transformation, they are oriented towards the future. So one could say: "Those who sketch, become." But what exactly does the Düsseldorf artist do when he draws every day, reinvents the old and finally elevates a small, select part of it onto the pedestal of paper?A Narrative in FormsKlonek was born in Poland in the 1960s and spent his early childhood there. He brought memories of rattling Super 8 cartoons with him to Germany, where classic American cartoons, Czech animated films and Japanese anime and manga shaped his unmistakable style. He chose to study visual communication and, early on, slowed the moving image in his mind down to its printmaking quality. He peels the film still, a recurring term in the vocabulary of his connoisseurs and critics, out of the formal worlds of his notebook. Perhaps this is precisely why he turned to the slowest of media, printmaking, to radicalise this deceleration even further.Klonek works in woodcut, more precisely in the reduction technique, known in German as the "lost cut". The effort required before his ensembles appear before the viewer, colourful, reduced and alive, is colossal. In contrast to his restlessly changing sketches, he must now think the realisation backwards, because in a reduction woodcut the material is irretrievably lost. First, he transfers the preliminary drawing onto the block. Then, layer by layer, he cuts away the areas that are to remain in the colour already printed. Only the remaining raised surfaces take up the next layer of oil-based ink and transfer contours and fields onto the sheet. As this process is repeated for every colour, he must not only think in mirror image but also never lose sight of a single form. What has been cut away cannot be restored; corrections are hardly possible. Small editions are the result, and thanks to minimal variations, each sheet is essentially unique: a statement at a time when offset printing and digital media dominate visual communication and rely on replicability.Please Step Closer!Not only the technique but also the visual worlds themselves appeal to a sense of being lost. As if in a pleasant intoxication, we encounter wild animals, anthropomorphic hybrid creatures and impossible landscapes. With headlines, subtitles and comic-style speech bubbles, he blends bewilderment with the unreality of what we see, as the languages depicted are illegible to most Europeans. Japanese and Russian have particularly captivated him through his travels. He calls the lettering in kanji and Cyrillic script "weirdness amplifiers": weird because they demand constant attention, amplifying because they catalyse irritation. Their sign-like quality underlines the inherent energy of the fabulous creatures and supervillains that lure the audience in with vivid colour and apparent harmlessness.But once you stand in front of a sheet like "Naruto", which from afar resembles a film poster, and grasp what the creature is actually doing, half bat, quarter human, quarter rubber boot, there can be no more talk of safety. Klonek's narrative form-mutants have teeth. They can be gigantic or tiny, recall forces of nature born in a Petri dish or, as in "Naruto", have brought their own weapons. That many of them seem preoccupied with themselves or their own misfortune is no reason to sound the all-clear. It is simply the result of a sketchbook whose discarded figures make us all the more curious. Roman Klonek – "Magic Box"Exhibition 25 February – 1 AprilOpening 25 February, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

From the forest to the city, from timber to city block: the title From the Woods to the Blocks plays on words in two ways. On the one hand, it refers to the technique Roman Klonek uses to create his works: the woodcut, or woodblock print. On the other, it points to his engagement with urbanity, as "blocks" are also the blocks of the city.His First Solo ShowHaving shown Roman Klonek's work in several group exhibitions, we are delighted to finally present his first solo show at Pretty Portal. On show is a selection of woodcuts from his current body of work, as well as a screen print edition of the motif "Souta Mouse".Roman Klonek on the Exhibition (translated)"In the exhibition From the Woods to the Blocks at Pretty Portal, you can watch the traditional craft of woodcarving meet experimental forms of storytelling. The stories are free of categorical rules and are clearly fixed neither in time nor in space. They are quite comparable to a full sketchbook, except that you should imagine the paper being transparent, so that everything 'drawn' becomes a hopeless jumble and muddle. Perhaps I should mention at this point that I love creating chaos and then tidying it up again. If this leads to an unexpected encounter between two or more ideas (which often happens almost naturally), these encounters may well trigger a moment of happiness in me because of their originality. When it comes to combining these ideas or visual elements, I also like to follow in the tradition of so-called B-movies. As a counter-design to predictable mainstream cinema, with far greater willingness to take risks and without regard for conceptual rigour, they often display the most important features of storytelling: moments of surprise.""From the Woods to the Blocks" Roman KlonekOpening Friday, 12 October, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 15 October – 16 NovemberPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Fortuna Düsseldorf is back in the Bundesliga. After five years in the second division, the traditional club has won promotion this season, and the whole city is celebrating. Shortly before the start of the new Bundesliga season, Pretty Portal is dedicating a very special exhibition to these "promotion heroes".Players, Coaches and LegendsAt the heart of the show are portraits of the current players and coaches who made promotion possible. Among others, there are works featuring Oliver Fink, Andreas "Lumpi" Lambertz, Rouwen Hennings, Axel Bellinghausen, Benito Raman, Adam Bodzek and Marcel Sobottka. Further portraits pay tribute to club legends such as Toni Turek and Gerd Zewe. The exhibition is rounded off by calligraphic works and a special "Fortuna ghost" by street artist PDOT, whose ghosts have become an integral part of Düsseldorf's cityscape.Urban Art with a Düsseldorf ConnectionFittingly, curator Klaus Rosskothen invited only urban and street artists with a connection to Düsseldorf, who engaged with Fortuna Düsseldorf for this exhibition. On show are works by Brian Storm, DECYCLE, DXTR, KJ263, L.E.T., Mexer, Mindix, ONI, PDOT, Roman Klonek, Strassenmaid and Tom71. All works were created especially for the exhibition and are available for purchase.Limited Screen Print EditionsLimited screen print editions are being produced for the exhibition from the portraits of Oliver Fink and Benito Raman, painted by Brian Storm and DXTR the Weird respectively. They will be available from the opening night onwards in the gallery and in our online shop at €95. Part of the proceeds will go to Fortuna Düsseldorf's youth work and youth academy.Opening with FortunaRealised in cooperation with Fortuna Düsseldorf, the exhibition opens on 9 August at the gallery in Düsseldorf-Bilk. The artists and several Fortuna players will be present at the opening."Aufstiegshelden" Fortuna meets Urban ArtA group exhibition with works by Brian Storm, DECYCLE, DXTR, KJ263, L.E.T., Mexer, Mindix, ONI, PDOT, Roman Klonek, Strassenmaid and Tom71Opening Thursday, 9 August 2018, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 10 August – 21 September 2018Pretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

A year full of exhibitions, encounters and new works is drawing to a close. To round off the year, we are bringing together 16 artists who shape the Pretty Portal programme in a large group exhibition. There is no overarching theme, but instead a broad cross-section of the diversity of urban contemporary art.Prints and EditionsOne focus of the exhibition is on prints and editions. Screen prints, woodcuts and other printmaking techniques have a long tradition in urban art. Closely linked to the history of the poster and the stencil, they make it possible to bring a pictorial idea to a wider audience in a limited edition. As a rule, the sheets are signed and numbered, and with hand-pulled editions in particular, small variations make each impression something special.For collectors, editions are an ideal way to get started, and for many a chance to own works by their favourite artists. And anyone still looking for a special gift will find a real treasure trove here, especially in the run-up to Christmas.16 PositionsOn show are works by BTOY, DECYCLE, FAKE, Fin DAC, ICY & SOT, L.E.T., Limow, Natalia Rak, Otto Schade, PDOT, Pixelpancho, Roman Klonek, Rowan Newton, Shai Dahan, Sokar Uno and Wolfgang Krell. The range extends from stencils and paste-ups to figurative painting, drawing and woodcuts. Artists from Düsseldorf are shown alongside international positions from across Europe and the USA.YEAR END SHOW 2016Opening Friday, 2 December 2016, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 2 December 2016 – 10 February 2017Pretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

A shaggy monster with an axe in its back races through the clouds. Below it, a skeleton with a smiley face rides a bear, a knight swings his sword, a monkey beats a drum, and a red-haired cyclist tumbles head first off his bike. Eyeballs carrying a pencil and a paint bucket fly past at the edge. This wild procession fills a gable wall on Suitbertusstraße in Düsseldorf-Bilk. It was painted by five artists who joined forces as a band for the project.A monument remixedThe mural is based on Bert Gerresheim’s Stadterhebungsmonument (City Foundation Monument) in Düsseldorf’s old town. The 1988 bronze sculpture tells of the Battle of Worringen and Düsseldorf’s elevation to city status in 1288. For last year’s 40° Urban Art Festival, Oliver “MAGIC” Räke brought together a group of Düsseldorf artists: DXTR, Max “MEXER” Fiedler, Roman Klonek and KJ263. Together they translated the monument into their own visual language. Knights, mythical creatures and the turmoil of battle became a colourful, ironic remix of the city’s history.THE BAND in the galleryIn May we present works by the five artists, who have since appeared as THE BAND. Each brings his own handwriting, drawn from graffiti, illustration, printmaking, comics and character design. What unites them is a love of figures, of stories and of a humour that often has a double meaning.About the artistsOliver “MAGIC” Räke is an artist and freelance graphic designer. He has been active as an urban artist since the early 1980s. He was one of the first graffiti writers to use expanded post-graffiti methods, making him one of the forerunners of what is popular today as street art. He did so in a surprising, intelligent and above all unpretentious way. Stylistically, four hearts beat in him: as an artist and graphic designer he wants to leave out everything superfluous; as an illustrator and urban artist he loves the extravagant gesture and the ornament.Roman Klonek is a freelance illustrator and printmaker and one of the internationally known representatives of contemporary printmaking in Germany. From 2001 to 2008 he co-organised the Düsseldorf gallery Revolver. He regularly gives woodcut workshops at art and design schools, has taken part several times in the character design festival Pictoplasma and holds a visiting professorship at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen. Roman Klonek lives and works in Düsseldorf.Max “MEXER” Fiedler is a freelance illustrator, comic artist and game designer. He draws a great deal and loves it, and by his own account spends far too much time at the computer. From 2005 to 2013 he taught interactive systems and game design at the Fachhochschule Düsseldorf (University of Applied Sciences).DXTR (Denis Schuster) lives and works as a freelance illustrator and artist in Düsseldorf. His current focus is on large-scale murals and spontaneous collaborations with fellow artists. At the end of 2011 he founded the artist collective The Weird, which combines painting, installation, muralism, urban art, character design and illustration and is known for its murals in Germany and abroad. His style has its roots in graffiti. His pictures are figurative, playful and dreamy at first glance, but with a touch of mysticism, irony and provocation.KJ263 grew up in the Düsseldorf scene and, as a graffiti artist and freelance graphic designer, is now making a name for himself internationally. Born in Russia, he combines everyday observations with fictional play in motifs that seem surreal, sometimes fascinating, sometimes ironic and witty, always full of character and charm.“THE BAND” DXTR, Max “MEXER” Fiedler, Oliver “MAGIC” Räke, Roman Klonek, KJ263 Vernissage: Friday, 16 May 2014, 7 – 10 pm Exhibition: 16 May – 20 June 2014 Pretty Portal, Brunnenstraße 12, 40223 Düsseldorf

Urban Art Künstler setzen sich intensiv mit verschiedenen Drucktechniken bei der Erstellung ihrer Werke auseinander. Als Paste-Ups sehen wir sie in den Straßen, wo sie Teil unserer alltäglichen Wahrnehmung werden. Die Ausstellung „Prints & Editions“ konzentriert sich daher auf diesen Aspekt. Zu sehen sind Holzschnitte, Radierungen und insbesondere Siebdrucke von 2SickBastards, Arno Beck, Base23, BTOY, C215, Decycle, L.E.T., Mexer, Mr. Penfold, Orticanoodles, Remed, Roman Klonek, Sam3, SMASH137, Sweet Toof, Tom Brane und weiteren Künstlern, die von Pretty Portal vertreten werden. Zudem zeigt die Galerie Drucke aus eigener Sammlung, darunter Arbeiten von Blek le Rat, Nick Walker, Paul Insect, Dolk, Faile und Hush. 2SickBastards, Arno Beck, Base23, BTOY, C215, Decycle, DOLK, Faile, Hush, L.E.T., Mexer, Mr. Penfold, Nick Walker, Oliver Räke (MAGIC), Orticanoodles, Paul Insect, Remed, Roman Klonek, Sam3, Shepard Fairey, SMASH137, Sweet Toof, Tom Brane, Valentina Brostean, u.a. Ausstellung : 30.03.-28.4.2012 Vernissage: 30.03.2012, 19-22h