Anton Krueger | Research Trip

July 2022 — Literature

South African writer and lecturer Anton Krueger will spend July 2022 at Château de Lavigny for a research trip. During this time, Anton plans to write a series of short paradoxical parables inspired by images from the Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne. He intends to publish an assemblage of these stories as a book titled “True Tales for False Times”.

Anton has been experimenting with this format of writing for some time. Often based on personal experiences, the stories take surprising twists or present alternative perspectives. A few of these short pieces have been published in poetry journals and anthologies. “I’ve been on the lookout for an artist with whom to collaborate as I’ve envisioned each short piece accompanied by an image”, Anton explains. “When I recalled the works from the Collection de l’Art Brut, and the remarkable contexts from which they arose, I realised that my paradoxical parables might match up well with these wonderfully idiosyncratic artworks.”

During his research trip Anton will first take inspiration from the material art in the museum and then create parables around themes and content these evoke. In this way he intends to inter-weave his own personal stories with those elicited by the artworks. “Some content will be influenced by the fantastical worlds imagined by these artists, and the lines between subjectivities may become blurred,” he says. Alongside the stories, Anton will also research and write brief biographies for each of the artists whose work is included in the project.

BIOGRAPHY

Anton Krueger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Drama at Rhodes University, where he teaches performance studies and creative writing. He’s written numerous books in many genres; including memoir, criticism, short stories, poetry and plays. He’s the recipient of numerous awards for his writings, and is also an accomplished improviser, most recently performing in Fearless Flow at the National Arts Festival of South Africa in 2021.