17 May until 28 September 2025

Is this "crazy"? Or is it "normal"? The history of psychiatry has long been marked by this dichotomy. Since World War II, however, this difference has been increasingly disappearing. On the one hand, with the opening of psychiatric institutions and the integration of patients into society, "madness" has become everyday normality; on the other hand, behaviors and reactions such as intoxication, stress, or attention disorders are considered pathological and have become the object of psychiatric intervention. This phenomenon was investigated by a research group funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), in which (medical) historians worked together with scholars of art and literature from several universities from 2021 to 2024. The central question was how the blurring of the line between “normal” and “crazy” affects society and culture, and what significance this change has for today’s society and its psychiatric institutions. After all, the role of psychiatry as an institution has changed considerably since 1945. The exhibition provides an insight into the research group's findings through nine exemplary objects - from a drawing by the Gugging artist "Max" to an injection machine, from a fur coat to a talking stick.

The exhibition will be accompanied by guided tours, discussions, and film screenings, all designed to stimulate debate on the contemporary blurring of boundaries between "normal" and "crazy." A catalog will also be published.

Opening: Saturday, May 17, 2025, 7 p.m.

• About the research project ...