Calendario 2024 – Karel Martens

For each day of this calendar, Karel created a unique abstracted form to serve as a number. They are constructed using his signature method of printing letterpress monoprints from found metal forms, then digitized to create these 365 compositions. The piece references the daily practice of art, expressing Martens’ own approach as a designer and educator: “Every day is a new day.” When Karel Martens began studying art in the late 1950s, graphic design did not exist as its own course of study. Today, he is widely recognized as one of the most important practitioners of that very discipline, as well as a highly influential figure in the visual culture of the Netherlands. Alongside his commissioned projects, Martens maintains a commitment to this personal and iterative way of printing, which shows how creative practice often spans perceived disciplinary boundaries.