What does it mean to be at loggerheads with reality?
"If a person who is at loggerheads with reality possesses an artistic gift... he can transform his phantasies into artistic creations instead of symptoms."
— Sigmund Freud, Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1910)
In this episode of the Dash Arts Podcast, Artistic Director Josephine Burton dives into two powerful exhibitions that challenge how we understand women, art, and mental health:
🖼 Women & Freud: Patients, Pioneers, Artists – curated by Lisa Appignanesi and Bryony Davies
🎨 Charlotte Johnson Wahl: What It Felt Like – at Bethlem Museum of the Mind
Both exhibitions showcase art that reframes women’s stories and reclaims narratives of mental wellbeing.
Josephine is joined by writer and long-term Dash Arts collaborator Hattie Naylor to discuss these themes in the context of their latest project, The Degenerates—a new production that will explore the overlooked female artists of Dr. Hans Prinzhorn’s groundbreaking collection.
From 1919 to 1922, Prinzhorn gathered extraordinary artworks from psychiatric patients across Europe, publishing The Artistry of the Mentally Ill—a book that profoundly influenced 20th-century art. But while his collection celebrated creativity beyond the bounds of convention, many female artists were left out of the story. The Degenerates seeks to set the record straight.
Listen as we uncover hidden histories, challenge perceptions, and explore the intersection of art, mental health, and power.
See pictures from the two exhibitions on the Dash Arts podcast page. And you can follow our research towards The Degenerates on the Dash Arts blog: https://www.dasharts.org.uk/blog/our-artistic-director-on-research-for-a-new-dash-production
In this episode we hear from:
Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts
Hattie Naylor - Writer & Visual Artist
Lisa Appignanesi - Writer and Curator
Colin Gale - Director of Bethlam Museum of the Mind
Rebecca Raybone - Collections and Exhibitions Officer Bethlam Museum of the Mind
Marie Horner - Podcast Producer of Dash Arts
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