On Jitterbugs, Melancholics and Mad-Doctors

Madness deranges, it throws us off balance, and makes us lose our footing. It leads us to the edge of normality. But where does the norm end and chaos begin? And who decides where to draw the line?

Unhinged, the new collection presentation, tells the story of fools, idiots and madmen, but also stresses the importance of mental wellbeing in an increasingly complex society. Through five themes the exhibition analyses that ‘other’ that disturbs as well as fascinates. For a long time ‘abnormal’ behaviour was locked up in impressive institutions, but today psychiatric care reaches far beyond those walls. The exhibition draws attention to the evolution and influence of power relations in psychiatry and tries to grasp the many labels that are a help as well as a hindrance. It brings the mind-body debate to the fore and shows how imagination gives perspective and makes the unspeakable visible.

Unhinged mixes unique pieces with compelling anecdotes, big theories with hidden testimonies. Objects, books and arts come and go. Rather than burying psychiatry in history, Unhinged emphasizes the acute importance of mental health today.