Caroline Elms

A parent-teacher meeting one Saturday morning attempts to address a complicated altercation between teenagers Jolene Strickland and Stacy Duvelier, with the help of an expert arbitrator, Julie Langham.

The film by Ed Atkins and Steven Zultanski combines a performative reading of Philip Atkins’ (Ed’s father) diary, written during the six months leading up to his death, with the reenactment of The Ambulance Game, a role-playing game played by Atkins and his daughter. Originally private, both the diary and the game are now performed publicly, with the camera alternating between the performers and the audience, emphasising voyeurism and shared intimacy. Exhibited at Tate Britain alongside Atkins’ writings, paintings, embroideries, video works, and drawings, Nurses come and go, but none for me (2025) marks both Hartwig Art Foundation’s first commission of a work by Ed Atkins and the artist's debut feature-length film.