The theme for Artists’ Film International 2021 is "care," and the selected films reflect contemporary views
on care and nurturing. Together, they address a range of topics, from physical, mental, and spiritual care
to issues of healing, trauma, and solidarity. The theme was chosen at the end of 2020 and is, in many ways,
a reaction to the circumstances at that time, including the pandemic lockdowns, an ongoing climate crisis,
and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. This year, Bonniers Konsthall presents all the films in a
collective exhibition for the first time, featuring Victoria Verseau's work "Approaching a Ghost" as a
larger spatial installation.
Victoria Verseau's artistic practice focuses on exploring body, identity, and social structures.
Her works also touch on themes of philosophy and spirituality. They often start from personal experiences
of being transgender and a new woman. Through her own narrative, she investigates 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 honor the memory of her late friend Meril. The artist and Meril met when they were both
preparing for gender-affirming surgery in Thailand. During a time filled with anxiety about an uncertain
future, they found crucial 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 mirrored myself in her. Working artistically with what we went through became a way to process
what happened and a means to relate to life and its meaning. I want to make our story visible and acknowledge
all of us who lacked the strength to continue living or who were not allowed to.”
