Merzmensch - Conversations in the Bookstore

From the series: HalluciNation
Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Archival Print
Sheet size: 40 × 40 cm with 1 cm white border around the motif.
Year: Edition of 2025
Edition: 3 + 1 AP
Signed, dated and edition numbered by the artist on a separate label.

Merzmensch - Conversations in the Bookstore

Two men, two books, one conversation – and behind it a whole world of forgotten stories.

In "Conversations in the Bookstore," Merzmensch constructs a tableau of such dense visual texture that one feels as if one is entering a memory one never had. The setting—a labyrinthine secondhand bookstore in a nameless European city—is both hyperreal and subtly impossible. The titles seem familiar, yet are strangely altered. Time collapses and becomes timeless.

The two seated figures appear to be in the middle of a conversation, perhaps even an argument, their gestures frozen between intimacy and disagreement. They are surrounded by stacks of books, but it's unclear whether they are buying, selling, or simply living among the words.

Part of the "HalluciNation" series, this work reflects Merzmensch's ongoing fascination with constructed memories and fictional documentaries. It's a street scene that never happened, yet seems more vivid than reality.