Mental Health: Everybody Deserves to Have Their Story Heard
By Art for Change Foundation & The Lighthouse Experiment
17 September - 2 October, 2020
Art for Change Foundation in partnership with The Lighthouse Experiment along with over 55 artists on a journey to study, look in depth and create art that helps raise awareness about Mental Health in India and globally.
In face of challenges, here is a question we have continued asking, , ‘What can Art and the Artist do?’. While there are many artists who have struggled with depression and other mental illnesses, we see their lives celebrated and romanticized. Depression for one has led to some landmark art throughout history. In retrospect we even hear of how depression has led to growth and even betterment of an individual. Art is also hailed as a proven tool for therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and as a restorative tool for many other forms of mental illness. Art and artists in its versatility are able to help, and are often those significant ‘bridges’ from illness to wellbeing. In cases where mental health may be far from our minds, the sensitivity of an artist can allow ample room and space to consider and look deeper at it. In this program we want to look at how Art can play a key role beyond its therapeutic advantages to help raise awareness and start this important conversation around Mental health. . From Art’s humble ability to start a conversation to it being the one image that turns a person away from committing suicide - we believe Art can make a difference, Art can make a change.
Mental Illness remains a mystery to many, with concerns such as depression and anxiety being misunderstood and written off as a passing mood. Even as we see it rise as a major health concern, it is often overlooked and under represented by health workers, media and the general public. There is a long way to go in understanding mental health and in some cases we are yet to know where to begin. We hear of increasing suicides and find people close to us struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar and other mental health concerns. Some of us experience this even in our own families - there’s a feeling of helplessness with the conventional treatment. So our understanding of mental health can’t be similar to that of physical illnesses.
With the restrictions on public engagement, economic downturn and the sudden, varied and long term impacts of Covid -19, we hear of a rise in people struggling with mental health concerns. Isolation for a human is difficult and even more so for those more susceptible to mental illness. From senior citizens to frontline workers, from mothers to school children we find the current situation crippling and distorting lives.
The Art for Change Foundation and The Lighthouse Experiment invites artists to create artwork to effectively communicate and aid the discourses and discussion around Mental Health. In effect, we envision the art work to have a direct impact on society through social and virtual platforms, providing solace to our close ones and others who may be struggling across the world.