The Future of Art: A Diary

With texts by Tom McCarthy, Erik Niedling, Ingo Niermann, and Amy Patton

“A kind of Atkins diet for the soul.”
—Tom McCarthy, author of Remainder and C

Average life expectancy can fool you into thinking you still have many years ahead. But what would it be like if you had only one left? What would you want to—what could you—experience in this limited period of time?

Artist Erik Niedling would like to be buried in Pyramid Mountain, the largest tomb of all time, conceived by writer Ingo Niermann. To make this goal a reality, Niedling lives one year as though it were his last. The Future of Art: A Diary recounts the joys and horrors of that year. A letter by Tom McCarthy examines the social and philosophical implications.

The Future of Art: A Diary is the sequel to The Future of Art: A Manual (2011), in which Niedling joined Niermann on his search for a new, epic artwork. The book is published on the occasion of the exhibition “18.10.1973–29.02.2012” at the Neues Museum Weimar.

Design by Judith Banham, Middlecott Design