FOLLY – A Speculative Retelling

Lees in het Nederlands

The exhibition FOLLY – A Speculative Retelling stems from artist Heleen Mineur’s extensive research into the history and portrayal of mental health. When Mineur delved into various archives, she discovered large gaps in the narrative. Particularly women with mental illnesses were rarely given a voice. Bizarre remedies, such as bloodletting and electric shock therapy using eels, had been used since antiquity, despite no proven success. FOLLY is an installation in three parts: a docu-fiction film, a tapestry and a sculpture. In it, Mineur connects the results of her research to made-up characters and stories to produce a kind of fever dream. Using various documentary film techniques (old-style, new and archival footage, plus a voice-over), Mineur creates a superb retelling. In it, there is room for the patient’s perspective, for confusion, digression, for symbolism, humour and mourning. The viewer is challenged to find the truths in the story themself. With a spatial sound composition and interventions in the lighting and floor, Mineur has the viewer experience her retelling as a sensory experience.

Mineur’s FOLLY offers a revitalising look at mental illness, a topic laden with preconceptions.