All dead. All immortal.

Ben d'Armagnac

Between 1974 and 1978 Ben and I worked on a number of projects. Events, as we called them, performances, editions. His performance in Galerie De Mangelgang Groningen in 1974 was one of my last activities as a gallerist. And one of the first as an artist-in-residence host, what later became the nucleus of my organization Corps de Garde (1975-1985).
For d'Armagnac, photography and video mainly served the purpose of documenting his performances that had become his primary art form. Exceptions being a series of works on paper for Wies Smals' Seriaal gallery and a small body of works he did with me as Locations editions.

New York.

I was in New York when he arrived there for a PS1 residency in 1979. I showed him around, introducing him to people and institutions. I helped him getting a better space at PS1 (that he thereafter hardly attended). And I helped him arranging and setting up a performance in a not-for-profit gallery (Jeffrey Lew's 112 Greene Street).

Residencies and performances in Groningen.

Ben spent time with me in Groningen quite often. He would prepare for most of his performances there, including the one in Galerie De Mangelgang that I mentioned above, and the one in Martinikerk, the main church in town, in 1979. He also took up residence with me at Corps de Garde several times to work on editions for my publishing enterprise Locations.

Video: Ben d'Armagnac (1974) Performance Galerie De Mangelgang Groningen, Locations edition