I believe that clothing actually matters a lot. The most basic example is those young people who wear hippie clothes to demonstrate their independence from their families and the like. In that case, clothing is used directly as a means of demonstration. That’s quite obvious. But the majority of people dress fashionably, which is just as ridiculous, because it’s something that the average person has very little awareness of. Personally, I always wear work clothes, and I couldn’t care less about where I’m going or what I’m attending. Such a statement can, of course, be misunderstood. It could be seen as a kind of affectation, but I tend to stick to wearing work clothes.

When I try to explain why, it probably has to do with the idea that one aligns oneself with something. Whether it’s hippie clothes, bourgeois clothing, or work clothes, it’s always an expression of solidarity – or at least an attempt at solidarity – with the people who wear the same style. I don’t know if I’m work-obsessed, but I like keeping busy. I don’t need to be paid for what I do, so there’s likely some connection there in some way. And I should mention that I’ve preferred white painter’s trousers, which are enormously impractical from a cleaning perspective, but I’ve learned to wear them slightly mottled.

Why do you prefer white painter’s trousers?

Well, it’s not some intellectual effort that led me to white painter’s trousers.

Is it their fit?

Well, I don’t really think so. Although now that you mention it, maybe. The alternative would somehow be those jeans, but for one thing, they belong to a uniform I don’t want to align myself with, and for another, the fit of those jeans isn’t very accommodating.

When you talk about art, you have a concept you call the beautiful. Does that also apply to clothing?

Well, yes, it does extend to these trousers, because even though they’re not pretty and they’re quite filthy, they’re somehow more right. They make a statement in life. You can always spot them.