Appointment 2025

The email landed at 19h00 on Thursday September 18, 2025. At that point we virtually gave up on the possibility to visit Cité internationale des Arts in Paris during 2025. But then André Eskadar's message: 

Dear Gerhard,

I hope my email finds you well.

I wanted to inform you that we just had a studio becoming available for October and November, would you be interested ?

Of course, I understand that this is very last minute, but I just had the information.

 

Please let me know by tomorrow if you can still come during those months.

 

Kind regards,

André

 

Now followed relative chaos: first the personal check IF the visit is still viable and on the cards for us. That did not take long! Then: check passports, visas – and research flights.

 

And the poem from the 2019 visit lingers:

Liquorice All Sorts in drie bedrywe

I
Skeur die pakkie oop.
Gryp 'n handvol,
prop drie in die kies,                                                               
en dan nog een
(selfs die ongewensde klapperhap).
Ongefilterde direkte sensasie
van uitspattige genot.

II
Dan: uitgesoek, die gunstelinge eerste.
Suig die lae van mekaar,
afsonderlik geskilferproe.
Sluk stadiger, onderskei
die vorms met geslote oë.

Arts et Metiers © 2023

III
Die pakkie is nou driekwart leeg,
seleksie raak 'n spel.
Jy kies een vir een,
krultong die geure rond.
Tydsaam, sodat die smaak
langer as onthou kan talm.

   - Gerhard Barkhuizen © 2019

En nou wag die stad van lig en liefde om weer met gretige oë ondersoek en ervaar te word.