I’m not sure how to define this zine. If I could narrow it down, I would say it is a) 135 pages of stream of consciousness writing, b) philosophical exploration and c) comic books, comic sketchbooks, comic art. No doubt there are innumerable complex and paradoxical ideas within these pages. How you interpret this Alice in Wonderland will determine whether you will be confused or enlightened. Romuald Kuciara’s zine does have a title, but it’s an invented abstract symbol that with a trident sitting sideways, connects a half moon with a rectangle. Imagine: a painting by Ellsworth Kelly meets another by Yves Gaucher. The quality of Kuciara’s ideas hints that they would be found in the secret archives of a forgotten library’s attic, or the mumblings of a mysteriously undercover hero who only reveals himself long after he is gone. Kuciara is a graduate of Etobicoke School of the Arts, a school in Toronto’s west end that has educated uncountable brilliant artists who make a difference today. He is therefore bold in the execution of his ideas. He writes: “Every time I write something, I create a world, shape it, build it, form it./In this way, the world becomes my work of art.” Behind the philosophical renderings and mystical allusions, there’s some true intelligence here. It is a great zine, in some ways, one that refreshes the substance of what we should be getting more often. Kuciara’s learning process in this zine is actually one that teaches. His musings are insightful but he doesn’t sit in an ivory tower to sort out his ideas. He is an inventor of many sorts, a true mystic. (Nadja Sayej)
Comic zine, Romuald Kuciara, 135 pgs, [email protected], www.kuciara.com