New in the Collection

With "New in the Collection", IKOB presents recent acquisitions and donations that have recently become part of the IKOB collection. These are exhibited in the newly established library and contextualized with publications. The opening of this new series is marked by "Modular Synthesizer II+III" – a woodcut plate carved on both the front and back by Michael Falkenstein. In doing so, he takes up an artistic medium that appears somewhat outdated – the woodcut.

Woodcut is one of the oldest techniques used by artists since the 15th century. Woodcut was important for book illustration and the rapid dissemination of images, as it combined well with printing technology. Later, the technique was rediscovered and further developed by modern and Expressionist artists. Artists use woodcut to create graphically clear, often expressive works. The technique allows for strong contrasts and characteristic linear structures, with the grain of the wood often incorporated as a design element. Famous woodcut artists include Albrecht Dürer, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Paul Gauguin. What is often forgotten in retrospect about these artists and their woodcut practices is the close connection of the technique to media progress. Book printing and color woodcut formed an alliance similar to that of the internet and the culture of memes or emoticons today. So when Michael Falkenstein takes up the electric synthesizer in this seemingly outdated medium, it is neither illogical nor counter-cyclical, but rather follows an inherent logic of woodcut.

The image printed below is actually a photo of a printed image. The printing plate, which the artist generously donated to the IKOB, is deliberately not shown here. Even though IKOB – Museum of Contemporary Art has the legal right to use the plate to make prints, it consciously chooses to show only the plate. In doing so, we point to the special potential of a printing block and the possibilities of reproduction, which in the art context also help determine value and price. Falkenstein’s prints are thus extremely contemporary reflections on the value of the copy, authorship, and reproduction.

To further explore his work, you can find additional literature on the first table in the library or simply visit the artist’s website.

Michael Falkenstein was born in 1971 in Neuss (Germany) and studied from 1996 to 2002 at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he was most recently a master student of Konrad Klapheck. He lives in Düsseldorf and is mainly known for his sometimes large-format woodcuts.