Optimundus: M Hka 08 02 13 - 19 05 13

Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys s art casts a merciless perspective on reality. The duo visualizes their imaginings of the parallel world inherent within the modern human psyche, along with how it manifests itself in the everyday aspects of life and civic conformity. Everything from work, leisure and family, to social class, masculinity and marginalization are envisaged through convening an unlikely cast of nonprofessional actors, family members, friends, beards, objects and mannequins alike, often in banal, homespun settings. This book accompanies their major exhibition at M HKA of the same title the term the artists use for their particular conception of the parallel world. Narratives and criticism by Michael Van den Abeele, Nav Haq, Jennifer Krasinski, Dieter Roelstraete and artist Peter Wächtler.