Take Care of Yourself

During this residency, Manizja Kouhestani and Laurens Aneca explore our inner voice and the way we deal with our inner critic. They are curious to find out what happens when that voice begins to correct, judge or thwart us, and how themes such as automatic thoughts, cognitive behavioural therapy, shame and vulnerability come together in this process.

Why is it that we can sometimes be so harsh and unforgiving towards ourselves? What happens when that constant self-criticism turns into a fear of failure, and we feel we need constant validation from outside ourselves?

Manizja Kouhestani and Laurens Aneca draw inspiration from Tony Tulathimutte’s Rejection and the work of Sophie Calle, including Suite Vénitienne and Take Care of Yourself. During the residency, they will explore a form for inner confrontations, in which the inner critic and a counter-voice clash. In this way, they investigate how painful, and at times absurd, it can be to be in constant negotiation with oneself.