I AM THE BE(A)ST an installation about introspection, transiency, and the duality of the Self. It consists of a video together with a wooden panel with acrylic paint, hanging from chains. The hanging object can be interpreted as a free (spirit) kite and/or an animal trapped in chains. The panel is 99 cm wide and 58 cm high. The dimensions of the chains are flexible; approximately 12 meters of chain has been used here.

The video, the title of the work which is also written on the panel, and the fact that the two different sides of the same object are both visible, all refer to duality. The duality within a person, as within a situation or in life in general. People are just as much imperfect animals as they are love-seeking creatures with good intentions who struggle with the difficulties of life. ‘In the self, good and evil are indeed closer together than identical twins.’ Carl Jung.

To be whole, I need to accept myself completely. An Anthropos is the human being capable of uniting all opposites in oneself, without killing certain parts of one’s spirit. Friedrich Nietzsche said: ‘Be careful when you cast out your demons, don’t throw away the best of yourself.’

The irregularity in the painting symbolizes human imperfection, while the white color represents the process of self-forgiveness and inner peace, but also transience. Ultimately, from a holistic perspective, all contradictions are in reality one and the same.