Jonah Gebka

006

A—Z

Each image in the “A—Z” series shows a book being taken off a shelf or put back in by a hand or a pair of hands. The bookcovers are predominantly monochrome. They show neither text nor images. The position and gesture of the hand differs from image to image. The aspect ratios and dimensions of the canvases relate to the books depicted, which means that the paintings in the series slightly differ from one another not only in their motif, but also in their format.

A painting of a pair of hands putting a light green book into a book shelf

All 90 works: Untitled, 2021, acrylic on canvas, formats vary from 21 × 13 cm to 40 × 51 cm

A painting of a hand taking a light grey book from a book shelf
A painting of a black book being pushed by a finger onto a bookshelf
A painting of a hand taking a purple book from a book shelf
A painting of a hand taking a black square book from a book shelf
A painting of a person taking a black and blue book from a book shelf
A painting of a person taking a red magazine from a bookshelf
A painting of a hand taking a dark green book from a book shelf
A painting of a pair of hands taking a white book from a shelf of books
A painting of a hand taking a blue and brown book from a shelf of books

005

Image Runner

The two-part publication “Image Runner” was published by Hammann von Mier Verlag to accompany the eponymous presentation in the Galerie der Künstler:innen in 2020. The image part (open thread binding, 152 pages) includes 92 sheets taken from a larger body of work and created between 2017 and 2020. The accompanying brochure (stapled, 16 pages) contains the text “Man in office making copies using photocopier” by curator Juliane Bischoff and a list with details about the production of each sheet. Both parts are printed in 4/4c offset and measure 24 × 32 cm each. The text part was designed by artist and graphic designer Jan Erbelding. The production of the publication was supported by the LfA Förderbank and the Free State of Bavaria.

A stack of four identical books on a dark grey background
Two parts of the same publication unpacked from plastic laying next to each other on a dark grey background
An open book showing a blank page on the left and a drawing of a man misusing a printer on light green paper on the right
An open book showing black and white papers on the left and fragments of a watercolour of a man inspecting a blank sheet of paper
An open book showing solhouettes of hands on a black background a a photocopied sheet of paper
An open book showing blank sheets of white and light green paper
An open brochure with a long text entitled 'Man in office making copies using photocopier' by Juliane Bischoff
A detail of the spines of the book with a green yarn

004

Night Screens

A large blue painting of a man laying in bed seen from above staring at the empty white screen of a laptop

All 3 works: Untitled, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 200 × 160 cm

A large blue painting of a man laying in bed seen from above staring at the empty white screen of a laptop
A large blue painting of a man laying in bed seen from above staring at the empty white screen of a laptop

003

Key Operators

The series “Key Operators” focuses on the examination of immaterial work and the material handling of paper, which serves as a carrier of information, ideas and modes of representation. The watercolours and prints are based on stock images, generic material from image databases produced and used for illustrative purposes in advertising and the press. They depict people, primarily men, in office situations. By handling paper, computers and printers, they suggest cognitive but repetitive work. The devices are part of the image as watercolour depictions of the concrete technical machines as well as the result of their use. The pictorial space is additionally expanded by to scale prints of hands and their silhouettes, implying work taking place in the background. Certain works consist of watercolour on paper, others have additional inkjet-printed sections.

A watercolour painting on paper of a man in a blue jumper and kakis wearing a blue cap attending to a large photocopy machine

All 18 works: Untitled, 2018/2019, watercolour and inkjet-print on paper, 32 × 24 cm

A watercolour of a man at a desk looking at a number of blank sheets of paper
Two men conversing in an office like setting holding empty sheets of paper
A watercolour of a man in a checkered shirt looking at an empty sheet of paper
A watercolour of two nearly identical men in checkered shirts looking at an empty sheets of paper
A watercolour of a woman in a black suit handling blank sheets of paper
A watercolour of a man in a suit cut in half by a drawing of the same man in teh lower half of the image
A watercolour of a man in a blue shirt organising blank sheets of paper with a large hand coming in from the top of the image
A watercolour of a man in a dark blue shirt at a large format printer with a large hand coming in from the top of the image
A fragmented watercoloured and printed painting of a man in a checkered shirt looking at an empty sheet of paper

002

Alternatives

The series “Alternatives” depicts a person with rake in four similar paintings. All four motifs relate to four nearly identical photographs previously created for this purpose. The painterly translation of the motifs results in an added layer of difference between the images.

A painting of a man in a grey puffer jacket holding a rake standing on a leaf covered meadow

All 4 works: Untitled, 2019, acrylic on MDF, 40 × 30 cm

A painting of a man in a grey puffer jacket holding a rake standing on a leaf covered meadow
A painting of a man in a grey puffer jacket holding a rake standing on a leaf covered meadow
A painting of a man in a grey puffer jacket holding a rake standing on a leaf covered meadow

001

Background

The work “Background” consists of 27 manual reproductions based on a found advertising photograph. The advertised object is omitted in favour of the background. Over 27 days, 27 variations of the same motif were created in the studio through the repeated attempt to establish a relationship of similarity between the photographic template and the painted image. The imprecision of the painterly process results in a multitude of images that are similar but never exactly alike.

A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner

All 27 works: Untitled, 2017/2018, watercolor on paper, 42 × 29.7 cm

A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner
A water colour painting on paper of a grove of eucalyptus trees, with a group in the foreground and one in the back and light falling through the leafy canopy from the upper right corner