Acedia

Sian Hedberg
Short Exhibition
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Opening Fri Oct 4th 6–9pm
Artist talk between Sian Hedberg and Stefan Karlsson Sat Oct 5th 2pm

"Aceida” is an attempt to visualize and concretize the feelings that we have been pushing aside for so long. Through a series of photographs and sculptures I try to narrate the world within, the feelings we cannot put into words and the emotions that we all encounter at some point in our lives.

ACEIDA

The exhibition is about mental (un)health, and through photography and sculptural works I aim to visualize and pinpoint these feelings and emotions. The project is based on my own experience with depression and anxiety etc, but in order to be as comprehensive as possible, I have also talked to a number of people that were willing to share their stories and experiences. Everyone is affected differently by both depression and anxiety, but I have discovered that most people are able to recognize themselves in my project and pictures.

Unfortunately, the subject is something most people can relate to today – in spite of the fact that it is painted with guilt and swept under the carpet repeatedly. It is not often that we dare to address and highlight these problems, thus that is exactly what I want to achieve with my work. I want to recreate the state that depression puts you in, and show people what I and many others experience. It is an attempt to describe and clarify the invisible but intense feelings that only oneself has to oppose. It is the veil of gray that colors and changes one's entire perspective on the world. The thick fog that covers everything but can't be touched.

Throughout my process I've come to realize that it is not possible to clarify more than that though. It's diffuse and different for everyone. But still the same in some way. It is not possible to place into boxes because everything is a spectrum and intertwines.

Mental illnesses are everywhere, but unfortunately we often avoid talking about what's holding us down. The silence results in the subject remaining somewhat foreign and scary. The ignorance creates preconceptions, and false assumptions are made up around what it means to live with a mental illness. To avoid this and the shame that exists, we need to create places where we can talk openly about our feelings. They need to be normalized and responded to properly instead of being oppressed and controlled.

Mental illness and ill-feeling must stop being seen as taboo and the topic needs to be brought up so that we can help each other with our own experiences. This is to create understanding, acceptance and reduce the shame around mental illnesses. Everyone needs to be included, and in the project I also try to give an insight to those who are not that familiar with the subject.

I would also like to point out that there can be a great difference between emotion and expression. Everything is not as it seems and the surface does not always reflect what’s underneath.

My works might be a confirmation for some and hopefully an eye-opener for others. The pictures are obscure and can be read in many ways. Nothing is right or wrong, but hopefully I managed to capture the feeling I and many others know a bit too well.

Words are not always enough. They limit us, just like mental unhealth. Dare to feel, dare to open up and dare to talk about it.

https://sianhedbergblog.wordpress.com/