A. Beginning at Beautiful Distress: On Starting Over in Art and Mental Care

Beautiful Distress, an Amsterdam-based organization operating at the intersection of art and mental care since 2014, presents 'A. Beginning,' an exhibition exploring what it means to start over. The show features works by Kalliopi Ioumpa, Amalie 'Sveske' Ourø, Sharon Kortekaas, Erik Alkema, Marijn Brussel, Merel van Rijn van Alkemade, and Avi Krispin. Ioumpa's installation releases folded paper leaves from white cylinders, which drift and accumulate on the floor. Ourø's path of clover seeds will germinate during the exhibition. Kortekaas' '365' invites visitors to add and take drawings. Alkema's 'Quantum of Solace' uses textile works to evoke hospital architecture and mountain landscapes, reflecting his recovery from illness. Brussel shows a transparent computer as a body needing maintenance. Van Rijn van Alkemade's sculptures are tactile and bodily. Krispin's figures combine stunt dummies and human body parts. The exhibition marks a new beginning for Beautiful Distress after losing structural funding. 'A. Beginning' runs until August 30, 2026, at Beautiful Distress in Amsterdam-Noord.