Kevin Josias is a Danish artist based in Copenhagen. Inspired by the threshed sentence that “a healthy body is a healthy mind,” he created the spinebender x fatigue object. The piece inscribes itself into the exhibition with a narrative about self-esteem, personal performance, and social status while Josias questions how the physical way of dealing with mental health is too one-sided.

When he began diving into this angle on mental health, he quickly turned towards working out and the gym as an environment and an aesthetic setting. A place that seems straight-forward but holds a great complexity. He found that his focus on his body strength, health and well-being when going to the gym was quickly overshadowed by his vanity, and also gave thoughts to the amount of selfies being taken. “The gym is probably one of the most vanity filled rooms you can enter. The masculinity substantiates itself so much it consumes itself”, he says.

spinebender_x_fatigue inscribes itself into the exhibition CONFESSIONS with a narration about self-esteem, personal performance, and social status. The piece functions primarily as a resting device and works perfectly for scrolling.

“Are you still using old-fashioned ways to get rid of your flab? Sit-ups and crunches put strain on your back and neck and honestly it looks pretty cringe. What you really want to do is get into shape quickly with the spinebender! The most advanced backbone strengthening system to date. With just three minutes a day you can achieve the best body of your life and most likely the best life of your life!”

spinebender_x_fatigue (bench) 2022
67x100x115cm
Painted steel, chains, rubber, foam, textile