Reutlingen
From September 2015 to March 2016, 31 screen prints and 6 sand prints for the artwork “Homage to Hafez” developed at the company Graffiti Screenprint in Reutlingen under the supervision of Sebastian Wendel. Transparent foils, directly painted by Uecker himself, served as printing templates for this very elaborate project. The motives on the templates were transferred onto the screens with different exposure times to be able to achieve exactly the different density ranges of the single colours – in technical language this process is called “Stufensiebdruck” (gradual screen print). Additionally, Uecker provided the printing team with a coloured miniature template (aquarelle on paper DIN A5) of the desired motives, on which they could read the printing sequence of the colours. In this context, it was important that the prints did not appear as flat and extensive, but virtually like watercolours. Through the different exposure times, the watery-varnished parts of the painting remained as much intact as the well-covering ones.
For the sand prints, the sand was coloured the way that it resembled the sand Uecker had brought along from Shiraz. All motives were printed on high quality museum cardboard. The first printing proofs were supervised by Günther Uecker himself in Reutlingen. Together, an expressive work cycle was realised that captivates through the interplay of colour and the rhythm of calm and strong sheets. Enthusiastically, Wendel told about his cooperation with the artist:”This is a very emotional, impulsive person, at the same time very sincere and open in his interactions.” The work on the sheets for “Homage to Hafez” was a project of the special kind that will be remembered forever even by such an experienced printer like Sebastian Wendel and his colleagues.