— Die aap van Bloemfontein | 2014 
Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys

In 2014, 1646 Experimental Art Space co-commissioned DIE AAP VAN BLOEMFONTEIN (The Ape from Bloemfontein), a captivating video that delves into the realms of absurdity and transformation. The distorted voiceover lends an unsettling quality to the narrative, drawing the viewer into a surreal journey through the subconscious. The story unfolds like a dissociative drug trip, with bizarre, unpredictable twists that keep the audience off balance.

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The performers, frozen in place like sculptures, imbue each scene with a haunting presence. Whether in the therapist’s office or a jail cell, their stillness conveys a deep sense of confusion and vulnerability, creating an atmosphere that is both unsettling and intimate. Each scene exposes raw emotions and metaphysical grievances, urging the viewer to question the deeper meaning of the characters' actions. As their internal struggles are put on trial, the question of what shapes their moral choices lingers in the air. Are they wrestling with their own demons, or are they merely pawns in a far more sinister game? The video leaves more questions than answers, challenging us to confront our own beliefs about right and wrong.

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DIE AAP VAN BLOEMFONTEIN  is a provocative exploration of the human psyche, inviting viewers into a world where reality and fantasy merge into an incomprehensible soup—a soup that, in its own way, is also a sandwich.

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Excerpt from the Dutch translation of a pedagogical treatise on the torment of human sin, written by Charles Gobinet.

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​Van wat kant dat ik myn leven aenzie, ik vind’et vol zonden. Sy komen my met menigten te voor, en vervult zynde van Schrik, keere ik my tot u, ô mynen Godt! weest tog my rampzalig mensch genadig. Doet my door boedtveerdige werken uwe verzoening verdienen: en laet niet toe, dat ik uwe bedienaers zou pramen, van my de teekenen van uwen vrede en liefde te geven, voor dat ik zal hebben getragt uwen toorn te verzoenen, en door de werken, die sy my zullen voorschryven, aen uwe regtveerdigheyt eenigsins zal hebben voldaen.

Gendt, 1727​