OUT OF ORDER!

Out of Order, 2025.
Gouache on Fabriano 300 g cold press watercolour paper. 48 x 36 cm.
45 x 60 Barth maple frame with CLARITY AR70 Glass - anti-reflective and with UV-protection.
Euro 510 incl. framing

*Shipping not included, please email to [email protected] to discuss

Out of Order (2025)
Before starting my artist residency in Itoshima, Japan at Studio Kura, I spent a few days in Fukuoka. In an antique shop called Retoro Katsu, I found a small, beautifully designed sign from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). I joked with the shop owner that I wished I had a sign like that for days when I feel off—something like, “Don’t bother me today!” Inspired, I decided to paint my own sign.
Since winter 2020, I’ve been living with Long Covid, a chronic illness with many symptoms that affect my daily life. Most symptoms are invisible to the naked eye, making it hard for others to understand or empathize. There is still no effective treatment, and many patients face prejudice.
It has been a struggle to be seen, heard, and supported. Sometimes I just do not want to explain, so this sign simply shows that my ‘battery’ is empty. Long covid symptoms vary for each person, also in intensity and can include muscle pain, exhaustion, dizziness, headaches, blurry vision, sweating, racing heart, and breathlessness— my own list includes about forty symptoms.
With this playful painting, I want to raise awareness for Long COVID and other invisible diseases. Maybe we can all learn to grant ourselves and others more rest, set better boundaries, and show more kindness. Don’t be afraid to say, “Hey, not today, out of order!”