BASEMENT
ANGÉLIQUE AUBRIT & LUDOVIC BEILLARD
Juckreiz
In Cooperation with Gallery Wouters, Brussels

Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard, JUCKREIZ, exhibition view, 2026, Photo: Simon Vogel, Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Wouters, Brussels and MARTINETZ, Cologne
There are three categories of people on Earth: the sick, the criminals and the soldiers.
This classification surpasses all others because it is much more precise and much simpler. One still has to understand it.
The Sick
Sick people are individuals who are incapable of taking care of themselves and whose condition requires intervention, care, or support. Illness is a painful episode in life; however, this pain does not concern the body alone. Illness can affect any type of system, in ways that are more or less visible. As soon as it is diagnosed, the illness must be recorded and the sick person isolated from the rest of the population in order to limit its spread.Today, it is no longer possible to distinguish between the different types of illness, as there are simply too many, and new ones are constantly emerging and multiplying, circulating through a system of interconnected vessels. Prevention is therefore the only barrier against illness.No risk of contamination can be ruled out, even when someone contracts a mild illness. Nevertheless, sick people can continue to lead normal lives as long as they do not come into contact with the rest of the population.
In the past, doctors devoted themselves to curing the sick. Later, they began trying to prevent illnesses from changing and developing. Today, doctors are responsible for monitoring the population in order to identify illness in all its forms. It was eventually realized, however, that treating the sick was no longer necessary. Sick people must take care of themselves and develop their own systems of defence. Certain activities, certain areas, and certain individuals are more susceptible and therefore more likely to develop an illness. It is essential to know one’s environment and to understand one’s position within it, even though we now know that sick people attract sick people, and that illness is, above all, a matter of nature. There are exceptions: people who do everything in their power to become ill because they are convinced that suffering will save them. Others believe themselves to be invincible and deliberately attempt to become ill in order to prove their strength. These resilient individuals become trapped in a temporal loop between life and death, as though the illness itself refused to let them go. Once they have passed the threshold of acceptance, most sick people live perfectly well. This is partly because doctors no longer have any contact with patients once an illness has been declared, as there is no treatment.
It has nevertheless been observed that most sick people suffer from a form of imbalance, and that their condition can be stabilized with the help of a hydraulic counterweight system. This system maintains the patient at a level at which the illness can spread evenly throughout the body, without becoming concentrated in any particular area and triggering episodes of crisis. By keeping patients at a stable level, the system promotes a state of calm, which explains why those under its care often appear slightly euphoric.Illness is a constant flow that only seeks to circulate. The greater the inclination of the body, the more rapidly it progresses. This is why most sick people must remain lying down or find a position of equilibrium.
The Criminals
Contrary to popular belief, criminals are not born criminals; it is a deliberate choice they make under the influence of their immediate environment or their capacity for discernment. Criminals often justify their choice by invoking a problem of inequality and injustice, whereas it is in fact a matter of will. In the past, it was thought that criminals could be influenced from an early age by applying a proper system of education and correction. Today, a system based on free will, surveillance and determination is preferred. Each person can act as they wish as long as they remain with the people belonging to their category.
Criminals are solar, clean and refined beings; this is what enables them to gain the trust of the other categories. To avoid becoming a criminal, one simply needs to remain alone. However, with the displacement of the population towards the most remote areas, isolated people must find new strategies for living outside society when society draws closer. Some people lived underground for a long time, but as they descended ever deeper, they came face to face with other species that had themselves been driven away from the surface of the Earth, and they thought that it would be enough to place sticks of dynamite in the ground to annihilate them and to dig larger cavities. Annihilating another species is an offence, and soldiers are the only ones capable of distinguishing harmful species from non-harmful species. People who cannot tolerate the presence of other entities must therefore find a way to retreat inside themselves without having to search for a deserted territory.
There is less and less space available on Earth, but our bodies may be sufficient for our existence; we do not need as much space as we think. Box breathing can help reduce dispersion and promote concentration; it is the first thing the population must learn. The amount of air inhaled must be fractionated in order to allow for better dispersion throughout the body and better irrigation of the brain. It was discovered that criminals needed more air than the other categories because they were incapable of fractionating their breathing, like children who do not know how to limit their sugar consumption.
Apart from these problems of air and space, criminals are skilful, efficient and highly resilient beings. However, if they are allowed to move freely among the rest of the population, it will soon become impossible to circulate because there will be too many cavities in the ground, which could cause a global collapse and propel the entire population towards the centre of the Earth. One solution would be to move criminals into transparent structures equipped with powerful fans positioned at regular intervals. By propelling criminals into the air throughout the day, we could ensure that criminals are unable to touch the ground while simultaneously receiving a sufficient amount of air for their needs. One could imagine reversing the motors at night in order to recover all the energy produced during the day. By being sucked upwards throughout the night, we can thus ensure that criminals return to sleep.
The Soldiers
At birth, all living beings want to be the best they can be. However, not all living beings are endowed with the same abilities, and while most bodies function in the same way, the brain is a very dense and very unstable organ. Some children learn to walk very quickly, but they do not know how to judge distances and fall at the slightest obstacle, while others are much slower because they prefer to assess the risks. Before going outside, soldiers spend a great deal of time exploring their bodies and minds, so much so that they know how to adapt to all kinds of environments. Soldiers represent the part of the population that has never contracted an illness, never lied and never committed an offence. They guarantee the freedom and safety of the population and allow the free circulation of goods and people. There may be differences in taste among soldiers, but no differences in opinion, because cohesion is paramount. Each soldier has a very specific role in accordance with the group. Being a soldier means, above all, thinking about the well-being of others before thinking about one's own. For the well-being of everyone, the hierarchy must change with each season, which promotes team spirit and helps prevent disagreements and inequalities. A soldier must know how to occupy every position and be prepared for any eventuality. Today, we obey the orders of a soldier who obeyed us yesterday. Soldiers are not solely concerned with human conflicts; above all, they are responsible for the proper functioning of infrastructure and the well-being of the population.
Although most of the time soldiers feel like soldiers from a very young age, it sometimes happens that people lie to themselves because they are afraid of failing or do not feel capable of having so much responsibility. This is why there are discussion groups and training centres for minors, in order to encourage mutual support, share their experiences and develop their abilities. This also makes it possible to identify the different categories of people. The best soldiers are not those who achieve the best results and show determination, but those who know how to be discreet and have a good sense of observation.
Soldiers are the most faithful people and those who show the most love, because they know that love is the best weapon for resolving a conflict. A soldier can spend hours watching over a door to protect their own and prevent a malicious person from entering, even if this means going without food and sleep.`
Furthermore, unlike the sick and the criminals, soldiers know that life is short and that positive thinking is the only way to fully enjoy every moment. Positive thinking produces electrical signals that can influence the perception of light in the optic nerves and the production of serotonin. It is this same substance that was once used in the manufacture of antidepressants. Yet today we know that everything is a matter of will and choice, because light no longer exists at the moment when we perceive it. We also know that two people who do not belong to the same category do not see colours in the same way: light and colours being filtered through our will and our emotions.
The Itch
For the past few weeks, itching has been a symptom common to all three categories, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between people. People who suffer from itching are not necessarily sick, but at the same time, one cannot say that they are not sick. Similarly, soldiers who suffer from itching are not necessarily sick; this symptom requires increased observation in order to limit errors. Thus, over the past few weeks, many soldiers have mistakenly found themselves among the sick, even though they showed no signs of illness but rather the symptom of itching. Yet when a person is placed among the sick, it is impossible for them not to eventually contract an illness.
Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard
2026

Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard, JUCKREIZ, exhibition view, 2026, Photo: Simon Vogel, Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Wouters, Brussels and MARTINETZ, Cologne

Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard, JUCKREIZ, exhibition view, 2026, Photo: Simon Vogel, Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Wouters, Brussels and MARTINETZ, Cologne

Angélique Aubrit & Ludovic Beillard, JUCKREIZ, exhibition view, 2026, Photo: Simon Vogel, Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Wouters, Brussels and MARTINETZ, Cologne
