Page 7 - Making Books

FoReWoRD

Dmitrii Fomin

Victor Goppe’s work is exceptionally interesting and merely additions, adorning the main frame, tactfully im-
original. If only because it doesn’t fit completely into planted in a traditional paper book block.
one of the existing concepts of “artist’s books”, as he
combines strategies from different directions within this Even more diverse and unpredictable is the selection of
art form. texts published and illustrated by Goppe. Among them
are the medieval epic «The Lay of Igor’s Warfare”,
In his long years of publishing activities, with all the di- works by Pushkin and Lermontov, Tales of Hoffmann,
versity of topics, methods, techniques, materials, there Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and poems of the
is - a rare fact in current times - one single line of de- great absurdist poets Daniil Kharms and Nikolai Ole-
velopment in his work: the integrity and consistency of inikov. But dominant in Goppe’s oeuvre are, of course,
his creations. Each book by Goppe is not just an ex- the writings of contemporary Russian poets, from the
travagant artefact, but also a daring experiment with a author of the words of the Soviet anthem to the poets
clear direction: trying to find new forms of coexistence deep underground, from the brilliant and metaphorical
between words and images and trying out unusual Zhdanov to verse makers, little known even in narrow
ways to show their interactions. As well as overcoming circles of poetry lovers. Sometimes it is difficult to un-
the resistance of the literary material, Goppe offers a derstand what exactly drew the artist to the work. The
compelling visual interpretation of the text, which at first master himself says that he is not looking for quantity,
sight seems? often absolutely unsuitable for the ask. does not seek to «cover» in his publications all patriotic
literature, or to turn any rhyming utterance into a book.
Undoubtedly, the work of this artist is closely related Goppe believes that «art should only be rooted in
to the avant-garde of the early twentieth century: the contemporaneity». Perhaps, therefore, his attention
countless «productions» (as the Poet/Futurist himself is drawn to texts that, far from being masterpieces,
called his editions) of the Russian Futurist Aleksei bear the mark of the time, vividly reflecting contem-
Kruchenykh and the collages by the German Dadaist/ porary events and attitudes. The virtuoso typographic
Surrealist Kurt Schwitters; the rigid, fractured graphics placement, the expression and colour-tone of the il-
of the Expressionists, and the typographic experiments lustrations, the spectacular eccentric mutual intention
of the Constructivists. Goppe successfully continues not only increase by tenfold the sounding of the po-
these traditions, but rather than emulating his prede- etic lines, but give them an extra meaning, often not
cessors, he mixes one trend with the other, or, most im- provided for by the author. Constantly having his belief
portantly, brings them up to date. What was only hypo- reinforced -- that current literary groups are consolidat-
thetically acceptable for the pioneers of avant-garde or ed not so much out of the attraction of the manifested
barely outlined, he implements with a Baroque redun- programs but of the love for vodka -- the artist does
dancy, plays it out in many variations, and translates it not refrain from his heroic attempts to introduce his
into a semantic and stylistic register. protégés into high book culture. His recent, for some
critics unexpected, dealing with the genre of comics,
The artist is able to transform the book into an assem- is also natural in its own way, as in the earlier publica-
bly or installation, into a fascinating fairground concept tions of the author the image would quite often seize
or into a complex intellectual game, using wood, clay, the narrative power, subtly bringing the written word to
glass, and fabric. In the hands of this omnivorous in- the middle ground.
ventor any material finds a specific bookish expressive-
ness. In his complexly arranged ensembles a place is This catalogue of a retrospective exhibition of works by
easily found for technical drawings and cut outs, sheet Victor Goppe allows us to see a whole cross-section
music and geographic maps, fingerprints, and x-rays, of contemporary visual and verbal culture, to become
not to mention the habitual avant-gardist-book news- acquainted with a lot of plastic techniques - very un-
paper cuttings, bits of wall-paper, old faded photos, usual for the traditional art of the books- and appreciate
mounted pieces of colour paper and foil. However, the richest possibilities of that area in which the master
in the majority of cases all these exotic materials are works.

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