Diana Gheorghiu

According to the World Health Organization, health is not defined as the absence of disease, but as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. It’s no coincidence that the wellness industry has blossomed in the past 50 years, sculpted as it is by the economic mechanisms of neoliberalism and the subtle move from societal responsibility for one’s health and wellbeing towards individual responsibility. The wellness industry brings together several economic sectors, among which: personal care, beauty and anti-aging, healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss, fitness and mind-body, the spa economy as well as workplace wellness. Overall, the wellness industry is said to be valued at around $4.5 trillion globally, according to the Global Wellness Institute and data compiled in 2018.

My work offers a critique of the pressure on the individual that wellness establishes. I believe that the pressure of choosing and safeguarding our health provokes a sense of guilt and anxiety. By focusing on our self-satisfaction, I think we end up in a situation where people feel constantly anxious, where bonds between people are broken down and any sense of solidarity is crushed.

Throughout the years my artistic output has been shown in The Netherlands, USA, UK, Italy and Romania.
My work has been featured in i-D Netherlands, ALT Magazine, Glamour, and CUTRA. I’ve also been commissioned by De Correspondent and Platform BK to illustrate articles published on their website, and by Humanity House to create an exhibition with the occasion of the Netherlands being part of the UN Security Council in 2018.

In 2022 my work has been screened in Los Angeles, USA as part of the Companions in misfortunes event, it was featured in the online event “arebyte on screen” hosted by Arebyte London and in 2023 I participated in the Prospects 2023 exhibition, at the Van Nelle Fabriek, in Rotterdam.