“Explosive”
28″ h x 20″ w, screenprint on Fabriano “rosaspina” paperboard + two hand painted wooden letters (signed, numbered 3/3) (2022)
“What a Question”
28″ h x 20″ w, screenprint on Fabriano “rosaspina” paperboard (Signed, numbered 7/20) (2025)
Anatol Knotek is an Austrian word artist and poet. While superficially simple, his pieces do an outstanding job visually demonstrating the playfulness of language.
While perhaps our first thought upon seeing the word “explosive” is something negative (a bomb or other like catastrophe), the word of course can easily have positive connotations. I love that it resolves into “love”, and I really love how it literally bursts beyond the frame — a creative bit of mixed media that gives the piece an installation feel.
Meanwhile, I cannot think of a piece that better captures the vibe of 2025 than “What a Question.” “How are you?” “How dare you?!” Oh yes, absolutely. I feel that with every fiber of my soul.
The above pictures come from Knotek’s website (he has better camera skills than I do), but I did want to add one picture of my own showing how the two pieces are displayed on my wall. I think I did a pretty good job installing them, if I do say so myself!
David Schraub 