MONOCULTURE | A Recent History

Der Schlamm von Branst takes place within the mundane confines of an activity center where a cast of characters are spending their time making clay sculptures. The sculptures, which could be considered here as manifestations from the depths of male sublimation, are attempts to create representations of such things as a horse’s head, the human body, and human faces, all of which appear amateurish and mildly phallic. Like other works by de Gruyter & Thys, strange ghostly masculine apparitions occur, bringing the parallel world into simultaneous view with reality. Again, the scenario operates on a level that is pre-verbal, and a single woman sits whimpering, holding a block of clay to her stomach.