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Item: De baadster
2000
Book, 19.9 x 12.4 cm, 207 p., language : Dutch, publisher : Uitgeverij De Arbeiderspers, Amsterdam-Antwerpen, ISBN : 9029503556.
Materials: Ink, paper
Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. B 2027/50).
Literary synopsis
De baadster is a story of absence. In stark fragments the departure from and of loved ones is told by Em, the main character, who seeks a new way of looking at the world. Writing down what she sees offers a way of observing, but also keeps her at a distance from her surroundings. She analyses her perception and tries to influence it, to break free and learn new ways of looking at herself and her environment - meanwhile getting caught up in her own perception. The story is set on a Greek island. Kali, who runs the hotel where Em is staying, has two sons: the Knotter and the Screamer. When Em's lover disappears she is not sure if she should go looking for him. As her surroundings fall to fragments, her words and thoughts sharpen.
Relation of the novel to the artist’s practice
The role and influence of perception is closely related to Maria Barna's visual work. Writing about observations is part of both her visual and textual work.
Authorship: Artist Author.
Creative Strategy: Fictional Artist Creates Artworks .
Genre: Bildungsroman, Drama.
Publishing: Publishing House.
Theme: Art, Childhood, Crisis , Death , Desire , Disintegration, Exotism, Fleeing, Identity, Illness, Memory, Mental Illness, Perception, States of the Self, Subjective Experience, Transgression Identity.
