Jimmie Durham
(c)photo: M HKA, 2019, Collection Stella Lohaus, Antwerp
"One of my first pieces after I moved to Europe in the nineties was an edition of 25 television sets for a gallery in Antwerp. I threw a cobblestone at the screen of each one, breaking it. There were two assistants who would take away the completed piece and bring out the next television set, because we were also recording the action on video. At first it was pleasant work, with a satisfying explosion and ensuing sound of falling glass. But after breaking four or five television sets I began to feel nervous. The remaining televisions all waited in a small room, and my sympathy for them grew with each throw. Before the end, I was feeling sad and guilty." (Jimmie Durham)