Artist Quote by Blixa Bargeld
“I first of all have a problem with the term 'avant-garde'. Because it is a military term, it means the guard that runs before the rest of the soldiers. And if I want to see myself presented in military terms, I don't want to be part of that. I want to be one of the deserters. I want to be in the woods, maybe.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: 2005, The Wire Magazine, discussion on avant-garde
He rejects the militaristic connotation of avant-garde, preferring the role of a deserter in the woods over a forward guard.
In simple terms: He wants to be a rebel, not a front‑line soldier.
Key Takeaway
Embrace outsider perspective.
Themes
rebellion
identity
artistic freedom
Mood
defiant
reflective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- creative work
- personal branding
- artistic communities
- social movements
Key Concepts
military metaphor
self‑definition
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you see yourself as a deserter or a guard?
- How does rejecting a label affect your art?
A Different Perspective
Avant‑garde can still be co‑opted by mainstream institutions.
![“Avant-garde theatre, with its distrust of the individual (that bourgeois invention), tends to go beyond [character] and the psychological approach in search of a syntax of types and characters which are "deconstructed and post-individual.” quote by Patrice Pavis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c22/patrice-pavis-72351_approach_avant-garde-theatre-with-its-distrust-of_59690.jpg)
