YOU
My installation, YOU, which was part of the group exhibition 'Der River' in Leipzig, aims to present a solution as to how to avoid to stop all crimes against living beings. Suffering disappears only when one recognizes, accepts, and processes one's own. In this moment, one steps back into oneself and establishes a relationship with one's soul. One's inner self becomes palpable, and this reflection should lead to preventing the suffering of others. Our inner selves are always a reflection of the external.
It is important to me to show a solution to this issue and not to impose the topic on the viewer. They should decide whether to delve into the depths of the work and engage with the subject matter. The message should be worked out of their own will.
1st Level: From the outside, you see a cube covered with curtains. The entrance is marked with a large eye. See! Look consciously! The viewer who decides to go further, to look inside the cube, or to enter it proceeds to the 2nd level.
2nd Level: Upon entering the cube, a new space, a new level, opens up. A private space where one can calmly engage with the texts and the video. In the cage located in the middle of the cube on the floor, a video plays behind its bars. Here, you can see me lying on a cold artificial hand and crying. The moment the viewer decides to read the three texts, they move on to the 3rd level.
3rd Level: The texts describe three frozen scenes. The first shows a man inflicting suffering on animals with a disconnected soul. The next scene is about a mother and her son, who must protect himself while lying on the ground in front of her. The third deals with a man who is at odds with himself. I have chosen to convey the content with text here, as when reading, one consciously chooses to engage with a topic. The viewer will fully understand the content only if they consciously decide to read the texts.
With the video shown in the cage, I want to express my pain. The cage is also a metaphor for our own cage within us, where we lock up our feelings and grief. At the same time, I want to express the hopeless situation of these creatures, whose sorrow and pain hardly anyone takes into account. Those who are blind to their own feelings cannot see the feelings of others.
