H E R M E T I C S

(Fragment: second location)

Strategies for the head

Spot barriers, obstacles,
impediments. Avoid or overthrow. Further,
write with snakes, spy with owls, flow
with water, grain with sand. Leave systems,
derail out of history, run wild with
the truth. Avoid the answer, follow the
question. In cold blood. Ne fronti crede.
Conceal the deadly stab, show the scratch.
Bear fruit like the elephant. Build with beavers,
fly with eagles.  Keep the blood warm.
Take root like rhizome, crown with trees.
Don’t be afraid of books and buildings.
(when the sun shines like never before. Conquer
the citadel while the twilight moves
west).
The earth is warm. Rest with the stars, dream
among planets. Keep your head in cool spheres.
See without knowing, know without seeing.
Think amidst crystal. Work
in all circumstances. Control the hand.
Avoid the clacking of tongues, the hissing of
mouths. Be in quiet places. Study
the corresponding difference. Prevent the firing
of missiles, the poisoning of food,
the deafening of ears and the blinding of eyes.
Do not hide in beds.
Besiege squares  and promenades, sweat near cold walls,
glow against steel doors.
Build barricades in suburbs.
Extract thought from melancholy and sentimentality,
from suspicion and credulity.
When moments criss-cross, breathe without words.
Recognize the dance of tripods.
Go erected where monkeys quadruped.
If need be: cover hands with ears, fill mouths
with stones.
(If light climbs from night to dawn or water rises
to the rain; if plants grow towards seed; if the animal
moves towards birth – then break with iron
the illusion of order and perfection).
Strive on paths of perseverance and labour for
elevation.
Direct your view at unlit spots, conduct the touch
in untouched spaces.
Rest under deep-rooted trees, gather near
ancient springs.
Engrave signs of power.


From the catalogue:
"Ton Mars"
(The Corresponding Difference)
Galerie Cora Hölzl
Düsseldorf
1988

H E R M E T I C S

(Fragment: Bad thoughts)



The Artist is a fool.
The artist thinks he is a pioneer,
the artist has no ground.

The artist is an idiot.
The artist thinks he is an explorer,
the artist has no field.

The artist is a loser.
The artist thinks he is a pilgrim,
the artist has no destination.

The artist is mad.
The artist thinks he is a rebel,
the artist has no guts.

The artist is stupid.
The artist thinks he is a strategist,
the artist has no plan.

The artist is mellow.
The artist thinks he is a creator,
the artist has a problem.

The artist is weak.
The artist thinks he is a reformer,
the artist has no resistance.

The artist is blind.
The artist thinks he is a guide,
the artist has no track.

The artist is mute.
The artist thinks he is a messenger,
the artist has no language.

The artist is deaf.
The artist thinks he is a medium,
the artist has no vocation.

The artist is lost.
The artist thinks he is a nomad,
the artist has no position.

From the book "AB UNO / AD UNUM (Africa)" by Ton Mars & Katalin Herzog, 2001 Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund.

(Fragment)

Waar geen richting is, bestaat geen leugen.
Waar geen doel is, heerst geen woord.
Daar ver vandaan zweven wij in woorden
als water in stoom.

From the catalogue "Ton Mars" (Echoes & Boundaries), 1994.Galerie Cora Hölzl, Düsseldorf and Galerie Akinci, Amsterdam

H E R M E T I C S

(Fragment)



I recall the brooklet. How we leapt from bank to bank;
zigzag.
I recall that on some places there was too much water and
how we leapt over stones from bank to bank.
I recall how excited we were and how it drove
and encouraged us to new challenges.
I recall the spot where the brooklet emptied into the river
and where the banks grew wider downstreams.
I recall precisely how our eyes met, fearful and courageous,
spirited and timid; and how the glittering stones tempted us.
The other bank was far away, but came closer and closer
in our ambitious minds.

From the catalogue "Ton Mars" (Echoes & Boundaries), 1994.Galerie Cora Hölzl, Düsseldorf and Galerie Akinci, Amsterdam

Von Korn zu Stein,
von Stern zu Planet
reisen Zählen und Sammeln.
Von Krone zu Spitze,
von Blüte zu Rispe
schwingen Sehen und Vergessen.

From the book "AB UNO / AD UNUM (Africa)" by Ton Mars & Katalin Herzog, 2001 Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund.