You Don’t Look Sick by Jasmijn Vermeer at Foam

From a deeply personal perspective, Vermeeren sheds light on living with an invisible disability.

Overview

In conversations about diversity and inclusion within society, the position of people with hidden mental and/or physical disabilities often remains underexposed. You Don’t Look Sick offers an intimate experience, inviting visitors to step into the everyday reality of those for whom this life is the norm.

Through photography, video, and sculptural work, Vermeeren reflects on her own encounters with chronic pain and societal assumptions surrounding health and identity. Idenitifying as crip: a term encompassing various forms of disability, including physical, mental, sensory and learning differences, Vermeeren challenges conventional ideas of functionality and normality.

You Don’t Look Sick invites viewers into her world, creating a space where emotions are welcomed and reflection is invited. In doing so, she prompts a rediscovery of what it truly means to be yourself.

About The Artist

Jasmijn Vermeeren is a Dutch lens-based crip artist, working with disability art. Her practice draws from lived experiences with disability and investigates her own dialogue with the able-bodied gaze, touching upon themes such as identity, belonging, and normalcy. Her work is about exploring emotions without judgment and examining the intricate layers of the self. It’s about embracing the ambiguity of who you are, choosing vulnerability, and cultivating a sense of curiosity. In doing so, she strives to highlight the complex relationship between personal identity and societal expectations and to question the identities imposed upon me.