Ida Applebroog's 1969-70 Mercy Hospital drawings exhibited at London's Freud Museum
The Freud Museum in London is showcasing Ida Applebroog's drawings from her time at Mercy Hospital between 1969 and 1970 until 7 June. These pieces were created during her self-imposed stay at the San Diego facility while she grappled with intense depression, delving into themes of psychological pain and the human condition. The exhibition features texts chosen by Applebroog, including Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1892 story 'The Yellow Wall-Paper,' Freud's case studies, and Kafka's 1915 work 'Metamorphosis.' The drawings, characterized by fluid shapes and repetitive notes, resist straightforward interpretation. Applebroog's background in graphic design shines through, with some pieces resembling microscopic or geographical forms, as she critiques restrictive boundaries, especially for women, aiming to evoke feelings rather than convey explicit messages.
Key facts
- Ida Applebroog created the Mercy Hospital drawings in 1969-70 during a six-week self-internment at San Diego's Mercy Hospital
- The drawings are currently exhibited at London's Freud Museum until 7 June
- Applebroog selected texts by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Sigmund Freud, and Franz Kafka for the exhibition publication
- Gilman's 1892 story 'The Yellow Wall-Paper' shares protofeminist themes with Applebroog's work
- One drawing features repetitive marginalia reading 'this way... no that way...' that continues until the page border stops it
- Applebroog discussed her 1969-70 period at a 2011 University College London symposium
- Beth B made a documentary about Applebroog in 2016
- Some drawings bear resemblance to magnified coronavirus images
Entities
Artists
- Ida Applebroog
- Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Sigmund Freud
- Franz Kafka
- Beth B
Institutions
- Freud Museum
- Mercy Hospital
- University College London
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- San Diego
- United States
- Chicago