in my talks, i focus on the process of artistic creation as a therapeutic, as well as emancipatory process and on the different aspects of working with art when the artist is also affected by different mental conditions. in this regard i look at the potential of artwork to be educational, transformative, to create a social discourse out of an individual expression, and to promote healing for others.
art and survivor empowerment
panel at the conference "madness: fighting for justice in mental health system" by disruption network lab in november 2022 at kunsthaus bethanien
In order to achieve a more just and compassionate approach to mental health, it is necessary to learn to pay attention and develop a shared understanding of the individual experience of “madness”. This will consequently make it possible to develop better coping strategies for people living with mental health conditions. Artistic practices are an obvious way of making these conditions experienceable.
At the same time, artistic practices can serve as a coping strategy in themselves. They not only give survivors an opportunity to process their personal experiences, but can also be vehicles in the survivors’ fight for social justice and self-empowerment. This will be illustrated through the work of the speakers on the panel. They present three approaches to artmaking, which are different in their format, style and thematic focus, but they are all deeply insightful, subversive and transformative.
While the Conference I participated in the Sentire project. Sentire is a participatory performance project made by artists with and without schizophrenia diagnosis, that translates human interactions into sounds.
trilemma of outsider-art
opening speech of the "vielfalter" project's exhibition at kunsthaus potsdam in april 2023
the project "vielfalter" creates a platform for eurodivergent artists. in April/mai 2023 they opened a exhibition, in which only neurodivergent artists are to participate. how is such a format to be evaluated under the goal of inclusion in the arts sector? wouldn't that categorization solidify the binary division? in this speech i used the theory "trilemma of inclusion" (mai-anh boger) to evaluate on this.
