Cologne 1970

Editor: This is Dieter Roth's "Cologne," a print from an unspecified date. It's an aerial view, almost dreamlike, rendered in what looks like layers of ink. What's your take? Curator: It's about process, not just image. Roth challenges printmaking norms. The layering, the near-abstraction—it points to a chaotic, almost industrial mode of production. Consider also, what does reproducing the image of a city mean in a post-war context? Editor: So, the act of making it becomes part of the statement? Curator: Precisely. The materiality embodies the tension between creation and consumption, the city as something both built and experienced. It's a fascinating challenge to our ideas of artistic labor. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Now I see more layers of meaning.