private view - a collection of self portraits
A short note on the overpainting of 'Self-portrait after FX Messerschmidt, 1988'
The overpainting of the original self-portrait has to do with a major event that overtook me in 1990. Over a period of three days - a handful of hours - my son was born then died. Since then I've made attempts to understand this, but failed.
In 1994 over a period of three days I obliterated and lost my 'self' by applying layers of thin white paint to the original portrait, until all trace of it was gone. (Only the border of the etching remains indicating something below).
This was a simple act of decreasing the 'self and increasing the memory. "Merci S C J" is a small epitaph for my son and me.
Even more so now, I stand by the quote of Michel Foucauft: "The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning"