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He was generally an attentive, universal and precise observer with another characteristic that set him apart: He did not leave any new ideas untouched – not his own, nor those of other artists. I remember that he sometimes thought "in many heads at the same time." The fruits of his thoughts that he passionately shared with others were not for everyone. Some of Czischke’s friends felt influenced, and even "manipulated" by him. Over time, more and more friends stayed away. They avoided the controversies he, his way of thinking and lifestyle presented.

When he drew and then painted, he continued to colour in his head, and thought about how he could incorporate other unusual materials (metal, plastic, textiles, bulky goods and found objects) to support his art. He created his collages, featuring daring themes and materials, over long periods of time, often using paper-thin layers. It would have been wonderful to have the commentary he provided on this work in audio form. Certain constructivists would have even approved of the systematic notes he took on his experiments with colour.

Even after 20 plus years, his unique and highly personal book objects, created in close cooperation with and carefully stored by Margarethe Czischke-Sabata, have a charm only apparent to the open-minded art lover, not an academic interested in comparisons or dealer looking to make a profit. Every sheet and each detail is elaborate in its precision, a stream of ideas and inspirations, collages, frottages, tears, painted-over elements, associations and caricatures – everything combines to create an awe-inspiring overall picture. In this case as well, he combines a bold mix of materials with subtle types of representation. His most impressive book project is Czischke’s paraphrase of Arno Schmidt’s “Caliban über Setebos”.

Czischke’s posthumous work is a logical cross-section of this artist, who searched, made mistakes and was not afraid of going off into new directions. A major, space-consuming part of the work he left behind consists of several large-format pictures. Most of these are framed artworks that gave him the space to grapple with difficult
questions and satisfy his desire to experiment. "Form-Farbe-Form-Perspektive-3-D" ("Form-Colour-Form-Perspective-3D"): It was not enough for him to work at the conventional level, a flat surface. To the delight of enthusiasts of empty, subtly designed space and delicate lines, he created a series of, as he called them, "begehbare Bilder” (“walk-through pictures"). He also left behind massive “Raum-Verspannungen”, wood-frame constructions in various geometric shapes featuring string spanned at precisely calculated angles. These provide the viewer with a delicate, fine-spun visual experience that is different from every perspective.
Jörg Czischke