THE PAIN - ALSO KNOWN AS ‘I REMEMBER YOU’, 2025
A sitting element to stay ‘in’ the immersive red work to contemplate, and to do some ‘inner dipping’ exploration, or just to escape from the outside world.
THE PAIN - ALSO KNOWN AS 'I REMEMBER YOU' is a immersive, monochromatic, site-specific installation - consisting of an approximately 55 m2 red painted surface running over the floor and partly two walls as an abstract bloodbath to step into, combined with two mirrored sharp shards, a low base grounding sitting element in the middle, and played sound - designed to silence external noise and shift the focus inward. Through its minimalism and scale, the work ceases to be about the artist and the outside world and instead becomes a contemplative space for the viewer. It invites visitors to enter their inner landscape and explore the places where pain resides.
THE PAIN - ALSO KNOWN AS 'I REMEMBER YOU' is rooted in a personal experience of intense physical and mental pain caused by an ectopic pregnancy, however the installation transcends autobiography through its abstraction, and becomes a non-judgmental, safe space that invites both solitary and collective reflection. It proclaims a universal human condition: to live is to feel pain - as to love - no one excluded. We are all formed in a womb, we are all made from flesh.
As background noise visitors hear the reassuring sound of a heartbeat - as heard in a womb.
Some may find both the work—and their own inner feelings—too overwhelming and prefer to keep those inner doors closed, they risk missing the chance for - temporary or lasting - relief and transformation.
THE PAIN - ALSO KNOWN AS 'I REMEMBER YOU' was exhibited at BIG ART September 2025 and forms a continuation of the site-specific work THE EGO – ALSO KNOWN AS 'YOU'RE MINE' that was on display during BIG ART 2024. An entirely black installation to allow visitors to experience the shadow side of the self.
The site-specific installation was designed in advance still the actual creating proces, including the preparation of the area and the painting of approximately 55 m2 had to be done in only three days. As part of the transformative effect of the work all was done by only the maker without any help making it an intense creating proces - considering the subject of the work as well as the immersive red execution.
As a result a natural state of fasting occurred, during the days of the creation proces. Probably due to energy building up, the body didn’t accept any food only the minimal. It changed the sate of being, and only a few hours of sleep was possible. In the night the red kept appearing in front of the eyes and thoughts as well as guidance of something larger then the maker forced themselves inside.
Turned out that acceptance and surrender was the answer for realising the ambitious work.
In line with the minimalistic concept, no artificial lighting was used. The work communicates to embrace the ‘real’ situation as it is, even when this will cause an unwanted appearance, symbolic for accepting darkness as part of the wholeness of being.
Turned out that the opposite occurred and the work was rewarded for this approach. Through the changing intensity of the outside light the work came to life and gave the podium back to the light and life it self.
The ever changing colour red, the surprising light effects and the shades were illuminating and mesmarizing. The photo was taken at 17:59.
Some of the wholes in the damaged wall are deliberately kept black to be, subliminally, associates with holes in the flesh, photographed at 17:14
The point of the mirror details can be, consciously or unconsciously, be associated with knife blades, one can tell they could really create wounds. The shards point downwards, suggesting to go deeper in the self, for one to ground, as well as piercing in the flesh. The sharpness of shards translate the extreme pain caused by the… through which the …was completely torn apart from the growing embryo creating a massive internal bleeding.
The original mirror shard was found on the street and cherished. Later, for this work it was copied twice by hand - a one on one copy of the original shard and one version mirrored to be placed on the opposites wall. Neither of the shards where made user friendly so no sides where erased but remained as sharp as real broken pieces.
The result was that when installing the shards on the wall, a cut in the hand appeared. It did not hurt and the first thought was that it was still some wet red paint, instead it turned out to be fresh blood. Did not feel anything and at first i thought it was still wet paint, turned out to be fresh blood. Running blood before oxidations stars has exactly the same colour as the red used for the installation. No coincidence.
19:32
19:45
19:50
# 19:51
19:59
The site-specific installation was designed in advance taking in account the location and it details - like the horizontal coloured surfaces on one of the walls caused by traces of several wallpapers and appliances which used to be installed on the former hospital wall.
A beam of light, like divine intervention, appeared out of nowhere and illuminated the mirrored shard perfectly as if it was a confirmation. The shard could not have been better positioned, precisely in the light, its tip piercing the red surface.
