Günther Uecker - Homage to Hafez (2015)

Günther Uecker worked for two years on his interpretation of the deeply human poems of the Persian poet Hafez. This portfolio represents part of the result, consisting of 42 prints - including 31 screen prints, six sand prints and five embossed prints that process what was read and heard in an overwhelming visualization. "As soon as I read, I have to paint," says Uecker, explaining the inspiration behind these works, which are filled with the sound of poetry . Complete ghazals (poems with a specific rhyme scheme) from Hafez's Divan are written on the pages in flowing letters. Selected verses can be read in Farsi and German, "against the colors of the country that captivated Uecker," as Annette Bosetti wrote in 2016. Since 2016, the exhibition "Tribute to Hafez" has been traveling all over Iran. So far, it has stopped in eight cities: Shiraz, Tehran, Isfahan, Kerman, Mashhad, Rasht, Bushehr, and the island of Kish. In each of these places, well-known local artists have been inspired by Uecker's unique work of art and have each contributed an exhibit to the exhibition that deals with Hafez's Divan. Through this extraordinary collaboration, the exhibition has grown steadily during its journey through Iran and at the same time developed into a project of international understanding.

The most important features of the artwork

Details about the artwork

The artwork consists of 42 works, of which 31 are screen prints and 6 sand prints on Römerturm museum cardboard antique white 360 ​​g/m² and 5 embossed prints on timeline paper. The folder is kept in a box made of untreated wood, manufactured according to the artist's specifications and hand-painted by the artist. The screen prints and sand prints were made by Sebastian Wendel, Reutlingen, while the embossed prints were made by Heini Schneider, St. Gallen. The edition of Homage to Hafez consists of 70 Arabic, 30 Roman and 10 Persian folders, numbered and signed by the artist. In the case of our folder, we hold one of the 70 Arabic numbered folders.

The film about the work, a video contribution about the creation and meaning of "Homage to Hafez", can be accessed at the following link: https://uecker-hafez.de/der-film-zum-werk