Rainer Gross
Melancholy: Psychiatric, psychoanalytical and cultural-historical aspects (of a concept)

In this lecture, Viennese psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Rainer Gross will explore the history of the concept of melancholy. In the Renaissance, melancholy was associated with thoughtfulness and sensitivity, and considered a characteristic that helped artists and philosophers to distinguish themselves. In ​“Mourning and Melancholy” (1917), Siegmund Freud distinguished between ordinary sadness and morbid melancholy, which he referred to as melancholy.

Today, however, there no longer seems to be no place for ​“noble melancholy”. In a world that demands constant growth and unwavering optimism, melancholy is seen as a hindrance — and yet it could be more: a quiet resistance to the compulsion to self-optimize, a reflection on what has been lost. Perhaps in melancholy, there is not only sadness, but also the power to change. Philosopher Judith Butler spoke of the ​“transformative effect of loss”: a melancholy that not only looks back, but also opens up new paths. 

At a time when utopias are fading, melancholy could offer a bridge between memory and hope. It is this understanding of melancholy that is also reflected in the Future of Melancholia exhibition.