Not everyone experiences the world in the same way, and how mental health and, in particular, schizophrenia impacts a person’s viewpoint is the central theme of Desire Is a Machine.
Hosted by Brisbane’s Institute of Modern Art as part of its 50th anniversary program, this new thought-provoking exhibition features a unique mix of installations, prints, drawings and video essays.
The exhibition takes inspiration from Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, a groundbreaking 1972 book by philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. This book represented a major shift in 20th century philosophy, reimagining desire and mental health beyond traditional psychology and suggesting new ways of thinking.
At its heart is the concept of schizoanalysis, which dispels treating mental health through traditional psychoanalysis. Instead of centring on the individual’s desires as lacking, schizoanalysis looks outward – at networks, environments and the systems that influence us – and explores how desire can drive change.
Stepping into vast white spaces, visitors are greeted with artworks from a diverse collection of Australian and international artists, including those with lived experience of mental health conditions.
On loan from the National Gallery of Victoria, an iconic lithograph by German physician Fritz Kahn illustrates man as an ‘industrial palace’, a human factory with mechanical units and the brain as a switchboard. This illustration renders the body as a system of flows and processes.
A standout is the engaging poetry recordings and personal drawings by the late Australian artist, musician and poet Graeme Doyle, who lived with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder from the age of 18. As he said in 2002: ‘I think I’ve taken more out of schizophrenia than it’s taken from me.’
Stuart Ringholt reflects on a psychotic episode he experienced after travelling in India, with an insightful installation made from personal items, medical records and photographs.
French artist Aurélien Froment presents an archive centred on Louis Wolfson, an American writer diagnosed with schizophrenia. Unable to tolerate English, Wolfson devised a method of instantaneous translation, allowing him to ‘hear’ it as a hybrid language of his own invention.
Adding valuable context is an engaging video essay by artist Angela Melitopoulos and philosopher Maurizio Lazzarato, discussing the experience of schizophrenia and how those with the condition can imagine that inanimate objects have a heart and soul.
Curated by Melbourne-based Stephanie Berlangieri, Desire Is a Machine explores desire as a powerful, creative force that connects people, technology and systems – rather than something rooted in personal lack or repression.
Berlangieri says she does not want the exhibition to be seen as romanticising mental illness, but rather as inviting visitors to view the lived experience of schizophrenia through a different lens, and one that doesn’t ‘medicalise’ people.
The exhibition explores complex themes, which Desire Is a Machine translates with varying success. Those unfamiliar with Deleuze and Guattari may find certain references obscure but, even without prior knowledge, the installations offer insights into a largely invisible world.
Each artist, in their own way, reimagines desire as something dynamic – pushing against social norms, creating space for new ideas and opening up conversations about mental health.
This is an ambitious exhibition suited to people interested in the complex world of mental health and for anyone who understands the world in a non-standard way.
Read: CIAF 2025 Art Fair Showcase reviewed – the Far North’s celebration of Indigenous culture
Desire Is a Machine challenges audiences to rethink desire – not as lack, but as a force for change.
Desire Is a Machine
Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
Curator: Stephanie Berlangieri
Artists: Graeme Doyle, Stuart Ringholt, Giselle Stanborough, Aurélien Froment, Angela Melitopoulos & Maurizio Lazzarato, Ueinzz Theatre Company (with Pedro França and Rodrigo Sano Calazans)
Free entry
Desire is a Machine will be exhibited until 21 September 2025.
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