To Be or Not To Be – Suicide in Art and Science – Book & Exibition
On September 10th, #WorldSuicidePreventionDay, a very special book release & reading will be dedicated to this sensitive and important topic: “To Be or Not to Be – Suicide in Science and Art” by Dr. Katherina Heinrichs and Jörg Vögele (Edition Outbird) The contributions include by: Luci van Org, Christian von Aster, Bianca Stücker, Asp Spreng, Michael Sele.
I’m honored to be part of this anthology, featuring some images from the “IAMNOTHERE” series. Accompanying the book publication there will be a two-week exhibition in the BeuteltierArt Galerie, which will show pictures from this series in particular. The vernissage is scheduled for September 8th.
I wanted to get involved in the project because it is a taboo topic, but it needs to be addressed because what cannot be put into words does not exist or is only hidden and remains abstract.
Without words, without language, things cannot be processed properly. And repression ends up creating even more problems, destructive behavior, etc. The problem just exists. In Germany, more than 9,000 people die by suicide every year. That’s more than traffic accidents, murder, or illegal drugs combined.
The interesting thing about the book is that it contains works by experts from various disciplines – for example medicine, history, literature, psychology as well as artists. So there are stories as well as scientific texts and series of pictures.
Since I also address negative emotions and destructive ideas with my pictures, they fit well into the anthology, even if they are not about the subject itself. Rather, by expressing destructive, supposedly “bad” thoughts and feelings, a kind of catharsis is aimed at, i.e. processing and not concealing these taboo topics.
About the Book “To Be or Not to Be – Suicide in Science and Art”
In Germany, more than 9,000 people die by suicide every year. That’s more than traffic accidents, murder, or illegal drugs combined.
World Suicide Prevention Day has been drawing attention to this problem on September 10th since 2003.
The anthology “To Be or Not to Be – Suicide in Science and Art”, which will be published on September 10, 2022, examines the topic from both a scientific and an artistic point of view.
Experts from various disciplines – for example, medicine, history, literature, psychology as well as artists devote themselves to the subject.
In addition, those affected, bereaved and survivors get a voice.
With contributions e.g. by: Luci van Org, Christian von Aster, Bianca Stücker, Asp Spreng, Michael Sele.
About the “I AM NOT HERE” series
The series is a collection of images that creates a person, but without in the usual ways via portraits, or selfies.
Excerpts from life in the form of places, objects, details, and also portraits, but always in such a way that no face can be seen.
A mosaic of the inner life of this person is formed, existing in the intermediate world of reality and digital.
This feeling of non-existence is born from the desire to withdraw in order to protect oneself in a world where visibility and being seen are constantly enforced and recorded, real and digital, present and biometric.
The person appears digitally alienated, without a face, thrown back on themselves in resistance to protect their soul.
On Exhibition until September 25, 2022
You are invited to the vernissage on Thursday, September 8th. from 6:30 p.m. at BeuteltierArt gallery!
The exhibition runs until September 25, 2022.
The reading will take place on September 10th. at VEID e.V. in Leipzig.