A Virtual Residency on Mental Health: Everybody Deserves To Have Their Story Heard
17 November - 2 October, 2020
At the time of proposing a virtual residency, artists had already experienced a few months of lockdown, a time of quarantines, fear, uncertainty and isolation. As the world around us changed drastically, we found ourselves desperate yet with a brimful of energy to create and have community. One thing about artists is they bond easily - a few sentences into a conversation and there is an array of topics to discuss. We found ourselves at a curious place, knowing what we want and why but in a completely new context - creating in isolation yet with a community.
As the Lighthouse Experiment, dealing with Mental Health for some years approached us, we found this a ready theme to deliberate on. At Art for Change we put the pending question back on the board, what can the artist and art do for the pressing concerns of our time. Where can art made in beauty, with truth help raise awareness on Mental Health? In the following weeks we had over 50 ready participants ready to take on this vast topic of Mental Health. A diverse group of artists, with a 65 year gap between the youngest and oldest artist, from hobby artists to professionals, working in mediums from painting, sculpture, photography to video, installation and performative art.
A schedule was made, screens came on and we found each other in breakout rooms, discussions almost immediately flowed. Talk by professionals on Mental Health vis-a-vis family, adolescence, education, migrant laborers, society, women and children and God anchored the discussions. We soon realized that Mental Health concerns everybody from all walks of life, and consequently there has to be that many perspectives and strategies to deal with it. There is no one cure and each person dealing with Mental Health is uniquely challenged.
The artist having been at home for a few months now had had their studios and working areas already set up. Working in a home space as opposed to a shared space as in our regular residencies was going to be different. At this point we can’t judge the direct impacts of this shift but to say that the work is honest and pressing. With discussions and the online resources at hand, the artists finessed their concepts and soon were at work. In following days as early marks and ideas came to become, we were overwhelmed by the depth that artists had reached to bring out authentic art, speaking to the heart of the concerns of Metal Health. There were artists who had going through difficult times, or with an exemplary attribute of an artist - empathized accurately what it may feel like and in some cases provided art that could be spaces of healing. As a body of work they collectively raise awareness on a pressing concern of our time. Each artwork holding the potential to change a thought and by its far reach, even save a life.
The Virtual Gallery
The artworks are better viewed from a desk or laptop.
Please scroll right to see more of the artwork.
You may inquire about artwork or the program with an email to isaac@artforchange.space
The physical exhibition of these artwork are planned for 2021 in New Delhi. Dates and the venue will be announced when finalized
