In Between

These artworks reflect my inner world, shaped by the ongoing battle of living with a chronic illness. They also capture the most severe period of my life—when I spent two years in bed after medication worsened my health. Through these pieces, I explore the destruction and profound loss this illness has inflicted on me, a silent war that feels like it is tearing apart everything I once knew.

At times, it felt like I was trapped in an endless, dark tunnel. I no longer felt alive, nor dead, existing somewhere in between—days slipped by, one after another, as I lost pieces of my life, until there was almost nothing left to lose. A world and body that once seemed vast and familiar became minuscule and unsafe.

How did I end up here? So far away from the life I felt I was meant to live, the world I wanted to explore, having received the blessing of birth, but at the same time the burden of not fulfilling its very purpose.

I’ve often wondered if the world could truly understand the depth of this kind of grief—the kind that seeps into your bones.

I was forced to navigate this vast unknown alone, to search for my own answers. Hope is what got me through. Learning to live freely inside my imagination, while my body was imprisoned, was the only way to withstand solitary confinement without losing my mind.

Eventually, slowly but surely, I emerged from being bedbound. The light returned to my eyes, but the destruction and scars remained.

Reflection

‘I tried to go outside to the backyard with mum today. It almost went wrong—which nearly caused a seizure. Afterwards, I cried so hard and cuddled with her for a few hours. I told her that I can’t be strong anymore right now. My despair and brokenness hurt so much; it feels like ten people I care about deeply have died all at the same time.’ — 15.04.2021

Impact

‘Today was a bad day. Honestly, I’m so tired, dizzy, and my heart is beating out of my chest.’ — 09.04.2021

Adrift in Shadows

‘When you cross over and no longer belong to the living, people grieve. They celebrate your life, love, and the light you brought to their world. But when your light only dims, and your body is still the world’s to keep, people live on—even when you’re not really there anymore.’ — 28.01.2025

Do No Harm

‘…they handed me the medication that robbed me of what little life I had left. — “It’s like being killed and nobody bothers to find the murderer.”’ — 08.04.2025

Entangled

‘I notice the heaviness and the confrontation of not being able to do what I want or what I feel like. I’m grieving. Over the past few weeks, it’s caused me to overthink and maybe consider giving up. But at the same time, I want to live so badly. I just want to be healthy.’ — 20.05.2022

About the Exhibition

In Between is an ongoing series by photographer Mirthe van den Berg. The first image in the series was made in 2020, but she was only able to continue the work in 2024, when her health had improved enough. The most recent images were created in 2025.

The accompanying texts originate from her personal diary.