In Sydney I bought a book on Gertrude Stein’s word portrait, Ada, by an artist known professionally as Atak, but also called Georg Barber. I looked him up and visited his studio in Prenzlauer Berg. The walls are covered with the most fascinating things.

As a kid—holding what looks like a toy AK-47.

He grew up in East Germany and took inspiration from Punk and music. I’m guessing that being a punk at that time and place would not have gone down so well with the people in power. He worked in a comic shop, then started a dark publication called Renate —the title being a piss-take on typical names of ‘womens interest’ magazines. Now he’s Professor of Illustration at the art academy Burg Giebichenstein in Halle.

Currently he’s working on a book on Mark Twain’s unfinished, last story.

More later.