When I moved to Heidelberg in 2012, I discovered the Prinzhorn Collection, a museum dedicated to art created by people with mental disorders. Like other artists, I felt compelled to respond to this remarkable collection. This work, extrem interessant (extremely interesting), is my first response.

I invited people of various ages and professions to view selected works from the Prinzhorn Collection, particularly those commented on by the French painter Jean Dubuffet during his visit in 1950. Dubuffet’s assessments, often brief, ranged from ‘extremely interesting’ to ‘mediocre’. The exhibition Dubuffets Liste aimed to comprehensively reconstruct his perspective.

Except in one case, guests viewed the works in pairs, and I videotaped these sessions.

extrem interessant captures the dialogues between these individuals. Each pair discussed two reproductions of the artworks. The video focuses solely on their reactions, as the reproductions are not visible to the viewer.

The participants chose from a pool of 15 works that Dubuffet had seen and evaluated. This allowed for a comparison between Dubuffet’s opinions and the participants’ responses.

In this dialogic setting, the speakers engaged deeply with the artworks, describing their personal impressions and discovering details together. Their words were often complemented by gestures. By handling copies, participants were able to touch and rotate the images, deepening their engagement.

In a relaxed yet focused manner, they reflected on works of art that viewers of the video couldn’t see. The challenge is to listen to their conversations and form our own mental images.