The Lunatic

Abstract

In this 2D animation piece, Okoye undertakes a critical visual commentary on insanity and the treatment the insane receive in Germany. Euphemisms are sometimes deployed to sanitize the ailment, but Okoye argues that terms such as “stress management” do not really address the enormity of the illness, and certainly do not smooth over the underlying societal aversion to those with psychiatric illnesses. Okoye’s visual commentary addresses societal attitudes of hostility, ridicule, and disgust that follows these people round: the rambunctious boys stoning them, people shifting uncomfortably when they enter a space or pass by, and the fortunate snorting in disdain as if the mentally ill are responsible for their actions.