Jimmie Durham

An internationally acclaimed artist and writer, Jimmie Durham (1940−2021) followed several trajectories during his career. In the 1970s, he was heavily involved in the American Indian Movement as a political activist who then turned to performance, theatre and literature. By the 1980s, Durham’s multifaceted practice incorporated a range of media and processes, subverting traditional narratives and reflecting the world in its diversity and multipolarity. After moving to Europe in 1994, he focused on the deconstruction of the key cultural pillars of European civilisation, including the nation state, colonialism, social hierarchy and monumental architecture. The construct of Europe was unravelled when the artist suggested the notion of Eurasia instead. In his quest to address humanity, Durham created a body of work which is profound yet accessible, political and personal, topical and complex.

His works in the M HKA collection span the period from the mid-1980s until the end of his life, including an ensemble of works exhibited at Documenta 9 and the sculpture Gilgamesh, created in the context of Antwerp 93 — European Capital of Culture. As a part of its profound commitment to the artist’s legacy, M HKA has organised projects including the retrospective A Matter of Life and Death and Singing (2012) and maintains a substantial digital database of his work.