How Low Can You Go?

In my work, I explore states of confusion and disorientation that arise from dissatisfaction, information overload, and the inability to reach resolution in one or more situations. Being trapped in a situation that requires movement but offers no clear direction can lead to fear, guilt, stress, insomnia, and more severe psychological distress.

I approach this state through the concept of limbo, traditionally understood in Roman Catholic theology as a space between heaven and hell, where there is neither suffering nor the possibility of happiness. It is a state of waiting, suspended between two possible outcomes, with no defined moment of resolution. In this sense, limbo becomes a metaphor for psychological states in which a person feels trapped in an unresolved situation.

Another reference comes from the independent video game ULTRAKILL, where Limbo is depicted as a false paradise within Hell. Its trees, grass, sky, water, and sounds of nature are artificial, creating an environment that appears comforting while revealing itself as completely fabricated. I am interested in this contradiction as a metaphor for moments when a seemingly positive change or sudden sense of clarity offers the promise of escape, only to lead to another dead end.

The work also draws on the traditional Limbo dance from Trinidad, in which participants move beneath a horizontal bar that is gradually lowered. The dancers must continuously adapt their bodies, balance, and movements in order to remain in the game. The same word therefore describes both a state of suspension and a physical act of overcoming an obstacle.

For me, it is striking that in different contexts the word limbo can describe a confined state in which there is no apparent possibility for development, while also referring to the movement that provides a way out. My work is a visual and intuitive reflection on this contradiction, on the tension between being trapped and finding a way through.