Kaja Meyer – Comic Reading: ‘Was drängst du denn so wunderlich mein Herz?’

On saturday 30 May at 12.30 pm, our scholarship holder Johanna Ploch welcomes Hamburg-based comic artist and visual artist Kaja Meyer, who will be reading from her debut book ‘Was drängst du denn so wunderlich mein Herz?’ (published by Rotopol Verlag). The reading will be introduced by Johanna Ploch and concluded with a short discussion with the artist about Kaja’s work.

With graphic poetry that combines comics, illustration and abstract art, Kaja Meyer tells the visually striking story of an uncertain journey through atmospheric landscapes. Accompanied by sound, Kaja Meyer takes us through her graphic narrative. The comic’s drawings run across the screen in sync with the narration.

Kaja Meyer’s debut book begins quietly and almost unobtrusively: the main character, Wurm, is having breakfast in his dining room, whilst a new day dawns outside his window. Yet inwardly he is plagued by a nameless pain to which even the heavens hold no answer. So Wurm sets off on a journey that will bring more questions than certainties, more ambiguity than clarity.

Inspired by the worm, which is briefly mentioned in Franz Schubert’s 1827 song cycle “Winterreise” as a symbol of suffering, Kaja Meyer explores emotional landscapes that are intangible yet graphically renderable. With stylistic diversity and atmospheric abstraction, “Was drängst Du denn so wunderlich mein Herz?” finds images in the face of existential uncertainty that pass by like the backdrops of a play, whilst simultaneously inviting the viewer to immerse themselves.