Collages
The collage is an independent facet of Rolf Knie's oeuvre. The artist constantly reinvents himself and evolves. "When I see something new, I have to try it. I want to always be on the move."
This is exactly how one might imagine the situation when Rolf Knie stumbled upon a treasure trove in the Circus Knie archives in 2008. He came across several wooden crates containing real treasures: advertising posters and valuable lithographs from the 4th generation of the circus dynasty. The prints date back to the 1930s and are almost historical time documents. From this find, Rolf Knie was now able to draw from a wealth of material.
The collage, also called a pasted image, is created by layering materials to form a new whole. Newspaper clippings, colored paper, ribbons, veneer pieces, photographs, or similar materials can be used. Rolf Knie roughly tears the lithographs and posters, then re-arranges the fragments on the picture plane or canvas.
In some cases, he literally turns our habitual way of seeing upside down and negates any depth or perspective. There is no distinction between foreground and background, and all details act autonomously and equally beside and together with each other.
