A new exhibition is on its way to the Sunshine Art Spaces Gallery, demonstrating the role art plays in mental wellbeing for those with mental illness and how art therapy can be used to manage that mental illness.
Local artist ‘UniqMoHo’ discovered a new drawing technique called Zentangles, which she found kept her calm and focused.
“Zentangles helped me to be mindful and stay focused on what I was doing,” she said.
“It calmed me down and helped me to not worry about a whole lot of really big life events that were happening at the time.”
The exhibition will run for six weeks beginning on Friday, September 15, described by ‘UniqMoHo’ as an exhibition using art therapy.
“The exhibition is about my lived experience with chronic mental illness and how after 30 years of relentlessly trying different treatment options, art therapy has been transformational,” she said.
“I do art therapy on a weekly basis at the Hunt Club in Deer Park and this has transformed my life, my family and enabled me to interact with the community.”
‘Death by Rainbow’ is a multimedia exhibition, which UniqMoHo said was created by focusing on one particular aspect that contributes to some of her mental illness.
“It is sort of an inner critic like that inner voice we all have, that puts us down and makes us second guess everything,” she said.
“I started using art to engage with this internal critic and debate with it and kind of fight with it to help me better understand it.“
The exhibition is divided into four chapters, UniqMoHo titled them as Conception, Recognition, Awareness and Victory.
“I hope this exhibition will make people comfortable to use the words mental illness and help people find comfort in discussing it.”
