Kristine Baagland

Kristine Baagland
Indgang K (Entrance K)

“In this pink universe, it is easy to forget where you are, it is cozy here with an almost homely atmosphere.”

Kristine Baagland's installation Entrance K is a disturbing plunge into the artist’s personal and institutional space, exploring the boundaries between public and private within the institutional framework of the psychiatric system. Taking the pink-lined, almost surreally cosy corridors of Aarhus University Hospital in Skejby as its starting point, the work unfolds a critical dialogue between the artist’s own psychiatric experiences and the public perception of psychiatric facilities.

The work consists of 756 shredded A4 pages, Baagland’s psychiatric health records from the period 2017-2025, making it both extremely personal and yet universal in its appeal. Shredding, as an action, serves as a powerful visual and conceptual symbol of the desire for confidentiality combined with the fragmentary memories and identities that psychiatric patients often must navigate.

This document destruction also comments on the administrative and bureaucratic aspect of psychiatric institutions, where one’s personal history is reduced to archival material and notes, mere elements in a daily office job. For healthcare professionals, this is just routine; for the patient, it is a document of one’s most fragile moments.

The installation’s spatial and colour elements encapsulate the contrast that exists between the ’cosy’ pink surroundings and the intense, often painful experiences that transpire in the rooms. This duality sheds light on the paradoxes that can arise in psychiatric environments where homeliness and the hospitalisation context collide.

Entrance K challenges the visitor to reflect on how institutional environments designed to heal often evoke feelings of isolation and alienation. Through the use of the colour pink, Baagland sheds light on the glaring contrast between the outer façade and the inner realities of mental illness – a duality that is both absurd and deeply tragic.

By blending the aesthetic with the personal and political, Entrance K stands as a vital contemporary art work that seeks not only to shed light on the artist’s own experiences, but also to initiate a broader dialogue around mental health, patient rights, and the role of the public health service in the treatment of mental disorders.

Lina Hashim

Kristine Baagland (born 2000) Lives and works in Aarhus.
In addition to visual art, Kristine Baagland also works with poetry and poetry readings and she is an active member of Unge Danske Digtere (Young Danish Poets).
https://www.instagram.com/baagland.kunst

Gizem Evcil

Gizem Evcil
PTSD (A love Story)

Gizem Evcil’s video work PTSD - a love story, provides an intense reflection on the human condition through a mirror installation that creates a spatial and psychological depth where the viewer is confronted with fragments of their own and collective memory. The work, accompanied by the song Mreyte ya mreyte by Lebanese Khaled Mouzanar, harnesses the emotional power of music to evoke a sense of nostalgia and loss. The song’s melodic qualities and thematic focus on reflection and self-awareness reinforce the introspective nature of the video piece.

The installation explores and discusses feminist and gender political perspectives that both challenge and expand the understanding of the individual’s position in contexts marked by social and cultural conflicts. Incorporating images of the Gazelle, an animal frequently featured in Middle Eastern art and literature, Evcil deploys this symbol of frailty and beauty to reflect the strength and endurance required to survive and navigate complex social landscapes.

The work is deeply personal; Evcil draws on her own experiences of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adding a layer of authenticity and immediacy to the installation. This element is essential in understanding the work’s emotional and therapeutic potential, as the artist utilizes her art to process and communicate her trauma. PTSD - a love story becomes a tool for both the artist and the viewer to navigate and understand the psychological landscapes that characterise people affected by traumatic experiences.

Furthermore, the work resonates with New Human Theory, a philosophical approach that seeks to redefine the human understanding of oneself to others and the world. Through her art, Evcil questions conventional perceptions of identity and belonging, which often adhere to gender- and culturally determined norms. The work proposes a new way of thinking about human existence, where the boundaries between the individual and the collective, the private and the public, are increasingly fluid and open to interpretation.

PTSD - a love story stands as a striking example of contemporary video art, where sound and image merge to create a multidimensional experience that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The work is a powerful reminder of art’s ability to address and explore complex themes related to gender, power, and identity, offering a platform for empathy, understanding and critical reflection on the structures that shape our society and individual lives.

Lina Hashim

Gizem Evcil (born 1992) Lives and works in Aarhus.
In addition to visual art, Gizem Evcil also works with music and is a vocalist in the band VIBR - Aarhus.
https://www.instagram.com/gizem___________/