Embrace Your Inner Brussels Sprout
Treehouse NDSM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Curated by Mulan Go, Gabriele Bonomi and Rika Maja Duevel
Embrace Your Inner Brussels Sprout brings together ten artists to explore the relationship between food and mental well-being. The exhibition reflected on how eating shapes mental health, identity, and belonging. Food appeared not only as nourishment, but as memory and cultural exchange.
Through installations, performances, and culinary gestures, the works examined how shared meals can connect generations and communities, while also revealing tensions around exclusion and loneliness.
By approaching food as a social space rather than a simple act of consumption, the exhibition highlighted its layered role in shaping who we are and how we relate to one another.
Monotaste, oil on canvas, 58x78cm, 2025
My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s later in life, a turning point that affected him both physically and mentally. One surreal side effect of his medication was that everything he ate tasted like mango. This constant, inescapable flavor slowly erased the simple pleasure of eating; something that used to be a sensory experience deeply tied to memory and comfort, turned into a chore. Only when taste is lost does its importance truly become visible.
In this work, I depict my grandfather seated in a world completely overtaken by mango, a reality in which there is no escape from this altered perception. The overwhelming presence of the fruit becomes a metaphor for his internal struggle, illustrating how neurological changes can distort everyday life. The work reflects on the loss of sensory joy and how this affects mental health, and one’s connection to the world. Through this work, the symbolism of the mango depicts both the absurdity and tragedy of 'Monotaste'.
