I only got to know more about Grace Ndritu’s practice a couple of years ago, when working on Kathrin Böhm: Art on the Scale of Life. Kathrin and Grace had a longstanding running conversation, of which sections had been published. For Art on the Scale of Life, Kathrin suggested we reprint one of these previously published conversations, upon which Grace put together a range of excerpts from several conversations they’d had over the years, which I edited down. A while after, Grace contacted me to discuss whether I’d be interested in working with her on her scoping a science-fiction novel that would situate her proposition for healing the museum in a longer historical trajectory, referencing Walter Benjamin but also contemporary thinkers like Dan Hicks and his Brutish Museum book.
At the time – late 2023, early 2024 – she’d mentioned she would have a show in 2025 at Page Not Found, a Dutch organisation focused on artists’ publishing. I’d more or less forgotten about it, but when I received a WhatsApp message from Grace asking whether I would be able to join her for an in conversation in The Hague in a couple of weeks’ time, I happily accepted the invitation. It just so happened that I’d already planned to be in Holland that weekend, so rather than cross the Channel for the occasion, I simply took a Dutch train there and back, bookended by a bike ride.
It was a great opportunity to delve more into Grace’s writing and read the second edition of Being Together: A Manual for Living, published by Page Not Found, which would be launched that night. Following a meditation session within the show, titled ‘The Compassionate Rebels’, we alternately read a series of quotes which I’d selected, followed by a conversation between Grace and me. Of course we ran out of time, and sadly some people had to leave while we were still chatting, but it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Grace and see the show.
Gerrie van Noord 