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The theme for the 2021 edition of Artists’ Film International is care, and the selected films reflect on contemporary views of care and caregiving. Together, they address everything from physical, mental, and spiritual nurturing to questions of healing, trauma, and solidarity. The theme was chosen at the end of 2020 and is in many ways a reaction to the prevailing conditions of that time, including the pandemic lockdowns, an ongoing climate crisis, and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement. This year, Bonniers Konsthall is showing all the films in a collective exhibition for the first time, where Victoria Verseau’s work Approaching a Ghost is presented as a larger spatial installation.
Victoria Verseau's artistry focuses on the exploration of body, identity, and social structures. Her works also touch upon philosophy and spirituality. They often draw on personal experiences of being trans and a new woman. From her own story, she explores larger existential questions; who we are, how we exist, and who we want to be. Approaching a Ghost is Verseau's attempt to approach and care for the memory of her deceased friend Meril. The artist and Meril met when they were both about to undergo gender-confirming surgery in Thailand. During a period marked by uncertainty about an unknown future, they found important support in each other.
"Three years after the surgery, Meril chose to end her life and my world fell apart. She was my only trans friend and I saw myself in her. Working artistically with what we had gone through became a way to process what happened and a way to relate to life and its meaning. I want to make our story visible and all of us who did not have the strength to, or were not allowed to, continue living."
A key aspect of this exhibition, as with all exhibitions, is the creted architecture and how it shapes a path that guides visitors toward certain important points. In this exhibition, the visitor takes on the role of a voyeur, peeking behind large-scale sculptural installations consisting of membranes and walls, catching glimpses of partially hidden works that communicate intimate stories. Works change and look different depending on whether the visitor is in front of or behind the work. As the visitor engages with the artworks, more clues and keys are provided, gradually unfolding the story that the exhibition aims to tell.