Mitra - Pólo de Inovação Social / Pavilhão I

Beco da Mitra, 1950-051 Lisboa

10 . 10 . 2026 → 15 . 11 . 2026

thursday - sunday → 02:30 pm – 06:30 pm

Artist

Heidi Piiroinen

In Case of Loss / sitten haluaisin laulaa is a multidisciplinary work exploring experiences of love and longing, as well as invisibility, disconnection, anger, and rage—both within oneself and in relation to others. The work is rooted in a deeply personal process, while also drawing from encounters and shared experiences gathered along the way. At its core is a journey of losing and re-encountering the self, shaped by a desire for connection.

The starting point of the work is the phrase "in case of loss," found on the first page of notebooks where instructions are given for returning them if lost. At its physical heart is the ritual of mordançage—a technique that physically 'attacks' 16mm film. This corrosive process causes the emulsion to peel and distort, leaving behind ghost-like traces of former images—a visual echo of the way memories and identities are eroded and reshaped by trauma and time.

Developed in collaboration with Maria Akatemia and The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare SafetyNet Helsinki , organisations supporting women dealing with inner struggle and experiences of violence (both endured and enacted), it includes material from writing workshops reflecting together on the difficulty of setting boundaries, the suppression of anger, and the weight of transgenerational trauma. The work reflects on women's anger as a socially sensitive and often silenced subject, examining the structures and attitudes that shape how it is experienced and expressed. It considers how anger is intertwined with shame, guilt, sorrow, and loneliness, and how difficult it can be to recognise and hold these emotional states within oneself.