Melek + ich

Rarely has a debut been presented that is so lively and, for all its unfinishedness, as strong as "Melek + I" by Lina Ehrentraut. Scientist Nici has built a machine that can be used to travel through dimensions. Nici creates an alter ego for it and names it Melek. The first journey takes the scientist to herself: Melek meets Nici in the parallel universe where she is the complete opposite of the original Nici, that is to say, messy and screwy. The scientist embarks on an affair with her alter ego and sparks fly. It's crude. But it doesn't matter, because Lina Ehrentraut draws the emotions so clearly with her brusque black strokes that Melek and Nici seem like open books. Lesbian relationships are so prevalent and normal in Lina Ehrentraut's comics that not a word is said about them. She draws sex so explicitly that some pages seem almost pornographic. Lina Ehrentraut wants pleasure to be visible in all its diversity. She also mixes brightly coloured paintings between her black and white drawn comics - abstract colour explosions or people swimming, singing, kissing or having sex. It's powerful and seems as if the protagonists are on an endorphin trip.