M HKA Ensembles

Book, 9,6 x 14,6 cm, 132 p., language : Dutch, publisher : Prison Pockets, Rotterdam, ISBN : N/A.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. B 2027/567).

Literary synopsis

The main character in this novel is a young artist who is unsure about what to do with his life and his work, and how to create an audience for it. A year passes by in which, after various side jobs, he eventually starts to work as a guard in the fictional RoMo Museum (Rotterdam Modern Art Museum). Here he becomes a radical artist, an artist that doesn’t make any new work, but only critiques other works. One night he locks himself into the museum and starts to change art worth millions. This of course gets him arrested. In jail he finds the peace to think about his actions and his being an artist.

Relation of the novel to the artist’s practice

Mitch Nemmer’s work is a process in which earlier works are combined with older pieces. He deconstructs his work continuously to create new pieces, which eventually will become old again. ‘Deconstruct’ might sound too technical, but this is not the case. It can be a situation or an element from a performance, which can be used again in an installation or text.

This method was also applied in the writing process of the novel, for which Nemmers researched on the importance of artists’ documentation. Suppoosten van het Dagelijks Leven is a work in progress. When someone buys the novel they also get a subscription to the development of the novel. Thus it is not a solitary project, but one that spreads over a long period in time.

Novel's website