Art As Medicine: Show Statement

Art As Medicine: Artists Exploring Mental Illness

Self-analysis, autobiography, and self-expression have been prominent themes in visual art throughout history. Lucien Freud said of his work, “The subject matter is autobiographical, it's all to do with hope and memory and sensuality and involvement, really." Curator Emmanuel Cooper said of painting by Francis Bacon, “there was a powerful subversive element in his compositions with much of his chosen subject matter searingly autobiographical. These often dealt with his own homosexuality, his intimate and often anguished relationships, and his own uneasy association with the world in general.” And in an exhibition produced by the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, Cheryl Brutvan wrote of work by Charlotte Salomon, “Salomon was told by her grandfather of the family’s tragic history, which included at least six suicides. In order to handle this overwhelming news, Salomon, living in virtual isolation, worked obsessively for just under two years to translate the extraordinary circumstances of her life. The horror of the time in which Salomon lived, as well as the happy events of her life, particularly of her early childhood, are realized in her paintings through fictional characters who are closely aligned with actual family and friends.” There is also photography by Francesca Woodman whose work that has been described as, “A personal kind of research. Woodman devoted herself to the exploration of the visible landscape of her body and its invisible counterpart, her psyche. ”

Artists have expressed their most inner secrets and explored their deepest anxieties both purposefully and unconsciously for centuries. In our modern society of daily emotional exploration spouted in blogs, with therapists, through music, and on televised psychology shows, making artwork about neurosis, phobias, paranoia, abuse, and depression is crawling its way to the forefront though a growing acceptance and treatment of mental illness. Art As Medicine brings together contemporary artists working in a variety of media. Each exhibiting artist is involved in a journey of the self and makes their work about the interior illness, pain, and struggle in their own mind, and in the lives of loved ones. Through symbolism, portraiture, spoken and meditative works, these artists show brave abandon in creatively sharing what they may never speak about. Through imagery and design they show viewers what they may not otherwise be able to put into words. Sometimes it is physically making the art that quiets the voices. Sometimes having realized a feeling in material form it can more easily be managed. Through writing and sound the artists of Art As Medicine express what they may not otherwise be able to speak aloud. It is so often that through the process of making the art that healing is found, and and with the healing a peace may be achieved.

1. Gianni Romano - Milano Oct.1998, for PhotoArts
2. Fred Turner - AUGUST 31, 1998, for Weekly Wire