AMSTERDAM.- Foam 3h presents You Don’t Look Sick, the first solo exhibition by artist Jasmijn Vermeeren. From a deeply personal perspective, Vermeeren sheds light on living with an invisible disability. In conversations about diversity and inclusion within society, the position of people with hidden mental and/or physical disabilities often remains underexposed. You Don’t Look Sick offers an intimate experience, inviting visitors to step into the everyday reality of those for whom this life is the norm.
The exhibition is a reflection of the artist’s personal experiences with chronic pain and the social assumptions she encounters. She identifies as crip: an activist term originating from the American Disability Rights Movement that encompasses various forms of disability, including physical, mental, sensory and learning differences. As an artist with an invisible disability, Vermeeren’s work challenges normative ideas of health, functionality and identity.
Vermeeren’s multidisciplinary practice spans photography, moving images and sculptural objects, conveying her experiences in a layered, multidimensional form. The exhibition features a series of self-portrait-collages, video works and a sculptural model of herself that examine how her personal experience meets society’s responses, often shaped by a non-disabled perspective.
The title You Don’t Look Sick emphasises the complex relationship between personal authenticity and social expectations for those living with non-visible disabilities. Identity, normality and belonging lie at the heart of Vermeeren’s quest for connection, both to herself and to the world around her. By embracing vulnerability with a playful openness, she creates a space where emotions are welcomed and reflection is invited, prompting a rediscovery of what it truly means to be yourself.
Jasmijn Vermeeren (b. 1996) is a Dutch artist whose practice focuses on lens-based media. She identifies as crip: a term that encompasses various forms of disability, including physical, mental, sensory and learning differences. She graduated in 2025 from the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague, specialising in photography. Her work has been shown in various group exhibitions, including at Melkweg Expo (2025), Sexyland World (2025) and Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (2024) in Amsterdam, and The Grey Space in the Middle in The Hague (2023). Jasmijn is a member of Verbloemd, an artists’ collective by and for creators with invisible disabilities, committed to raising awareness and fostering connection.
Jasmijn Vermeeren is the ninth recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Stipendium. Established in memory of Florentine Riem Vis (1959–2016), the stipend is awarded annually to enable a young artist to further develop their artistic career. Previous recipients include Sarah Amrani (2024), Steffi Reimers (2023), Bebe Blanco Agterberg (2022), Karolina Wojtas (2021), Gilleam Trapenberg (2020), Solène Gün (2019), Rebecca Sampson (2018) and Stefanie Moshammer (2016/17).
