The day I became a work of art • Middelheimmuseum Antwerp (B) • 2017

“Hello sir, madam, today is a very special day in the Middelheim Museum. It is THE DAY I BECAME A WORK OF ART. Shall I tell you something more about this art project? “

In this way, visitors were approached by the project staff. 

THE DAY I BECAME A WORK OF ART took place during 3 weekends. Visitors and staff of the museum were approached at the entrances of the museum. They were asked to choose a title for themselves (available in dutch and english). Those titles were depicted on small metal plates, much like the title signs of sculptures in the museum. Titles were simple and objective, often derived from frequently used titles of artworks. Each title had a number, which made each visitor a unique work of art. There was, for example, only one ‘Figure, seen on back no.7’. Visitors were allowed to keep the signs.

The Middelheim Museum itself was my inspiration for this work. But why? What is so special about the Middelheim Museum? The museum is an enchanting place. Water with bridges, majestic trees, wonderful lawns. Old and new sculptures are mixed, and a lot of sculptures have been made especially for the museum. Furthermore, there are always people who wander quietly between the sculptures, cycle through the park, play on the grass, do their job as a guard or make a daily round with their dog. The park itself, the size, the trees, paths and waters make it quiet and serene. It is a very natural entity. To me, the people present become part of the museum.

Let your imaginations run away with you, and the people who walk, stand still, run and cycle, transform into moving artworks in front of your eyes. They do not have to behave in a special way, they are works of art, just by being themselves. 

In the bookshop of the Middelheimmuseum: a book with photographs that were taken during the project, with accompanying texts of Sara Weyns (director Middelheimmuseum), Greet Stappaerts (manager of the outreach programme Middelheimmuseum) and Judith van den Berg.
Booktitle: De dag dat ik een kunstwerk werd. (only in Dutch)

On Arttube, you can see a mini-documentary on this project: Arttube video about The day I became a work of art by Mario de Munck

This project is made possible by the support and contribution of the Middelheimmuseum in Antwerp.
Thanks to CBK Rotterdam for an additional contribution.