Madness & Mysticism
Hans Ahnert worked as a surgeon in a hospital in Switzerland before deciding to turn his attention toward making art. Having entertained the idea of becoming a psychiatrist it is interesting to see a work which deals directly with a particular mental illness. The work features a wall of cubed cushions fastened by blue straps. The arrangement of cushions could conjure up an association with the padded walls of a restraining room in prison or hospital. It might take the viewer a moment before realizing that words are spelled out by the position of the straps on the cushions. The first line of cushions spells V-A-L-I-U-M, the second P-R-O-Z-A-C and so forth. Each of the names of medications prescribed for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
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