elf na twaalf (eleven past twelve)

Exhibition of work in progress, created during a 6-month residency in an elementary school near Antwerp, working on a plan that needed help from the pupils

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13 March – 10 April 2016
Croxhapox, Lucas Munichstraat 76/82, 9000 gent

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since January, I had my studio
in an elementary school in deurne

reason for my presence there
is some video footage in which economist milton friedman
uses a pencil in his argument
to illustrate the mechanisms of the free market
the graphite comes from south africa
the wood comes from west-america,
the aluminium from china,
the paint from india,
the eraser comes from the netherlands
and all these people,
driven by the invisible hand called competition,
work together in making this pencil
thanks to which you can buy this at the best possible price
and you contribute to harmony and world peace.

I asked the pupils to help me realise
my plan to deconstruct friedman’s pencil
and bring all of the components
back to their places of origin
just as in bringing something to the grave
or preparing the way
for something new