* Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys: Mondo Cane (Belgian pavilion Venice Biennale)
Jos De Gruyter, Harald Thys, Anne-Claire Schmitz
Mercatorfonds, 2019
€35,00
The publication of Mondo Cane coincides with the exhibition of the same name by Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys for the Belgian pavilion of the 58th Venice Biennale. Mondo Cane functions as a compilation of articles that report on the various facts and events that take place in the world that surrounds us. Each article consists of a descriptive text and one or more illustrations. From the beginning, the book is an international publication. The texts appear randomly in Dutch, English, French, German and Italian. The tone of the articles and drawings is informative, non-spectacular and monotonous. De Gruyter and Thys have the habit of distilling fictions from a reality that is sometimes too real. With pleasure they claim to be attracted by the psychosis in which contemporary society finds itself, while at the same time spreading it through their creations. Without ever falling into a moralistic or cynical attitude, the artist duo – with skill and not devoid of humor – manages to transform what looks like a state of fear and latency into an eerie and critical reality that transcends the status quo .
ISBN: 9789462300033
