Pencil and watercolour on paper, 30 x 21 cm (unframed),
ten originals of the same motif, numbered and signed on the back.

Special edition as subscription offer to the publication “Mother Tongues. Standard and Imagination”, Hinrich Sachs et al. (upcoming 2026)

In an era of militant debates on language and increasing
multi-lingualism, this book addresses the notion of a “mother tongue” and various approaches to the idea from the paradoxical perspective of the imaginative potential of all languages.
In addition, the publication articulates relationships between dominant and minority languages (as exemplified in various EU countries and Switzerland) as well as the situation of indigenous languages under the contemporary, post-colonial condition.

The book, to be published in English, is based on the long-term artistic project Die Muttersprache [Mother Tongue] by Hinrich Sachs. It currently consists of over 140 watercolors depicting the covers of selected educational materials for teaching reading and writing in different language contexts around the world. Many of these watercolors are reproduced on original scale, and they are grouped iconographically to reveal different communal and
cultural symbols and dynamics.

In addition to this, the relationships between different facets of literacy are brought into focus through contributions addressing issues like “the visual, message, and language” by Aden Kumler, scholar of medieval art history, “the power of imagination in learning” by philosopher Kristupas Sabolius, or “language within the politics of territory and power”, by writer Mohomodou Houssouba.

There are still a few originals of the special edition available,
for information please contact Studio Hinrich Sachs.