How did you get the idea to do the 'Hornsleth Village Project Uganda' HVPU?
I got the idea thinking about how to make a human being as an art work, how would one do that, I thought. I realized that I would need to sign that person somehow, then I thought about making someone take the artists name as part of an conceptual art work. And this way the person becomes he art work signed by the artist. This way many questions begin to rise. What is identity? What is a name? Who decides names? Who controls who? Who wants to be controlled by whom?
I later found out that an african village would be perfect because they would be in need and therefore willing to do a deal. Then I found a village and the deal was made. Fair and square. They got 400 animals and I got 100 namechanged people.
Art is like drugs, first it is very cheap and then it becomes expensive. After the HVPU I working on a new name project where rich people can add the Hornsleth Name to thier name for high price.
There has been a lot of critisism towards the project, how have you handled that?
If you can't take some critique you cannot be an artist. The critique is part of the dialectics between artist and art lover.
Do you feel you have achieved what you wanted with the project?
Yes
What was the pupose with the HVPU ?
To investigate identity and inter personal control
How would you define 'Provocative Art' ?
All art is provocative, if it is not provocative in any way it is not art. A very pretty painting can for me be provocative in the way it provokes me to think into a new direction, and thinking about hew stuff I never would have thought of.
What kind of feelings do you want people to have when they see your art works?
I want them to feel entertained, to make them feel that thier thought are being slightly moved into new and hopefully inspired directions. I want them to feel that they are not wasting thier fucking time, and make them able to reach new recognition, no matter how big or small it might be.
Do you think you can keep on provoking as you do now? Or will there be a point where people will be immune?
When you have become immune to art as such, you have either reached the final philosophical platform of no contradiction or you are looking at the wrong art. I can only do what I am doing. Anything else would be pretentious. Art is only art when it is able to provoke its surroundings, ethically or aesthetically.
Where is you own limit in relation to provocation?
When it doesn't work and becomes somthing else.
Why do you think there is so much attention towards provocative art?
Because we live in a super beautiful media carried world where infomation, knowledge and attention is bringing bread on peoples tables. I call it 'media-darwinism'. Only the really funny or the really ugly or the really beautiful or the really interesting gets attention. Was it not always like this? Think about it, would you like to hear a story allready told?
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