The Introspects

Abstract

The Introspects is a collection of stories exploring the meaning of art in our contemporary era. At various times dark, whimsical or surreal, the stories in this collection chart the activities of a cast of artists who all grapple in their own ways with the problem of art. A brain argues with a non-brain about literature and exhaustion; an ex-private detective investigates art and violence; an unhappy real estate agent discovers an unexpected penchant for watercolours. Bridging these stories is a serial narrative about the adventures and mishaps of Mimi, a disillusioned art critic, and the overconfident artist Otto, who just so happen to be the last introspective people on Earth. Together, they navigate what it means to be makers and thinkers against the backdrop of late capitalism, grappling all the while with the problem of how to make the most important, most relevant work for their times.