Histerium
2021, video loop, 2.20 min. Digital photographs printed, 140 x 100 cm, display case with traditional costume used in the rites of Hysterium.
Mystery – A fundamental genre of medieval liturgical drama, characterized by spectacles based on religious themes.
Hysteria – An archaic term once used to describe conditions now classified under dissociative disorders, conversion disorders, and various neurotic disorders often triggered by irrational fears.The title of the work intertwines the concepts of mystery and hysteria. In medieval times, “mysteries” referred to dramatic representations of religious rituals that were symbolic and allegorical, with individual scenes lacking direct cause-and-effect relationships. Hysteria, by contrast, has a much older history, dating back to ancient Egypt, where it was associated with neurotic disorders.
The photographic and video works convey a form of mystery that defies clear explanation. They evoke a range of associations, from Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson to the enigmatic rites of an unspecified cult. These works may also suggest efforts to understand the cause of death or attempts to restore life or health to victims of pandemics. The struggle against an invisible, deadly pathogen, with its chaotic and tragicomic elements, becomes a symbolic “mysterious mystery,” reflecting the complex reality of our time.
