Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, weakness, and mental confusion: this is how Swiss doctors in the 17th century described the mysterious illness that mainly affected mercenaries serving abroad. Morbus Helveticus – Swiss sickness. A medical diagnosis for a feeling that got its name here: homesickness.

Today, homesickness is no longer a medical diagnosis, but remains a commonly known ailment. For a long time, the concept of “home” was appropriated by nationalist movements, linked to landscape, nation, and purity, and supported by demarcation. But home is more than this narrow definition. It can arise from feeling a connection to a mountain, a village, or a house, as well as from language, care, and shared experiences. Homes can be lost, shifted, rebuilt; homesickness arises where connections exist, to places as well as to people. With sensitivity and empathy, the artists in the exhibition explore this multi-layered theme.

Cantonale Berne Jura is an association of eleven exhibition institutions that present the artistic output of the cantons of Bern and Jura in a joint annual exhibition. The cross-cantonal exhibition has been held annually since 2011 and has been organized and supported by the Cantonale association since 2012.

This year, the following artists are being shown at Kunsthalle Bern:
Tania Al Farouki, Nasrin Amiri Ramsheh, Livio Casanova, Chun Chen, Carla Blanca Corminboeuf, Rhoda Davids Abel, Beth Dillon, Garance Finger, Christina Gähler, Guadalupe Ruiz, Margaux Huber, Anna Jaun, Lorena Lira, cassiane c. pfund, Andrea Cindy Raemy, Michal Florence Schorro, Anouk Sebald, Ruven Joas Stettler

Kunsthalle Bern Jury:
Claudia Heim (Curator of the exhibition, Kunsthalle Bern)
iLiana Fokianaki (Director, Kunsthalle Bern)
Larissa Platz (Curator and researcher)