The COVID-19 pandemic has made the fragility of the human body painfully perceptible. Through essays and contributions of international artists and activists, this anthology poses the question of how and by whom a body is defined as healthy or sick. At the intersection of ecology, economics and technology, Kingdom of the Ill investigates a shift in the relationship between health and illness, contamination and purity, care and neglect. How are climate change and pollution affecting our well-being? Given the collective state of exhaustion, looming economic hardships, public healthcare cuts, and the dissolution of the boundaries between online and offline, how can one actually stay healthy and well? Following Techno Globalization Pandemic, Kingdom of the Ill - curated by Sara Cluggish and Pavel S. Pys - is the second chapter in the long-term research program TECHNO HUMANITIES launched in 2021 by Museion Bozen's Director Bart van der Heide.

Renowned for his powerful portrayals of our collective culture and history, Wilhelm Sasnal draws on found images from his surroundings, newspapers and magazines, billboards, and the Internet, creating works of art that act as an archive to the mass of sprawling images that flood contemporary life. His work addresses weighty historical themes such as the Holocaust, or familiar pop-cultural icons, as well as the people, places, and quotidian objects he encounters, constituting an artistic document of postcommunist Poland at a time of sociopolitical transformation. With a concise approach to his subject matter, Sasnal captures stolen moments in time. His graphic treatment of light and color suggests a camera s gaze, imbuing the canvases with a filmic quality. This major volume is completed by a series of essays addressing significant themes in the artist s work: alienation, portraiture, the personal versus the public, and history as a prism of reflection.