Passage of Neglect (2024) is a therapeutic art installation by Marcos Lutyens, presented as part of The Myth of Normal at the Hannover Kunstverein, curated by Christoph Platz. The exhibition featured a suite of multisensory works—including a large-scale tactile corridor, lightbox drawings, olfactory-tactile sculptures, and a separate piece that is now on display at a state ministry in Hannover. At the heart of the show was Passage of Neglect, a corridor-like environment that translates Lutyens’ long-standing research into sensory healing and neuroaesthetics, developed in partnership with the Lippoldsberg Clinic in Germany. There, Lutyens worked closely with stroke patients to explore how smell and touch might aid in the rehabilitation of hemispatial neglect—a condition in which patients lose awareness of one side of their body or surroundings. His Olfactory Haptic objects formed the basis for this immersive installation, which contrasts a vibrant, floral-scented side with a monochrome, sterile one, requiring visitors to navigate bodily through its narrow form. The project was realized with the creative contributions of Anna Eisermann and Ukrainian refugees based in Hannover, with scent components developed in collaboration with the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles. As part of the exhibition, Lutyens also performed an Interoceptive work that activated participants’ awareness of their internal bodily states, further deepening the sensory and therapeutic dimensions of the project. Together, these elements explore the potential of art to reconfigure perception, stimulate neural pathways, and propose speculative models for healing through embodied, multisensory engagement

Background: The group exhibition The Myth of Normal. Of Competing and Conceding puts the spotlight on fundamental questions concerning the relationship between the body and society. Against the backdrop of the UEFA EURO 2024 from June to July – an athletic event at which high-performance bodies compete – the show at Kunstverein Hannover presents artistic perspectives on the perception and reception of vulnerability, individual and collective trauma, in an exploration of pain, illness and therapy, healing practices and – ultimately – concepts of care and (re)distribution. Hungarian-Canadian physician and best-selling author Gabor Maté reminds us that social agreements within societies and the construct of the “normal” should be understood as interactions in need of renewal from the bottom up, rather than from the top down.
It is in this sense that contributions to the exhibition explore aspects of inequality and various forms of solidarity, engaging with the complexities of competing and conceding, of ability, skill, and generosity. Using a shift in perspective to expose latent privileges and to show how notions of “health,” “illness,” “inclusion,” and “accessibility” are constructed in post-pandemic societies is what art was predestined to do, whether it was produced by people with disabilities or not.
The sister exhibition The Myth of Normal. Chronic Contradictions (May 9—June 30, 2024) is being shown in Austria as part of a collaboration between Kunstverein Hannover and Salzburger Kunstverein. The two institutions are co-producing a performance program entitled When the Body Says Yes (Or Maybe) as part of the exhibitions.