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.

For about a month. The idea (or aim at least) is to meet some interesting creative people —mainly in their places of work—and write about them in more depth than this blog can handle—and also learn about/from another city. Publishing will ideally be on paper.

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