Drawing a way out
Affordable Art Fair, which opens in HK tonight, isn’t only about retail. Much space in it is being used to highlight the healing touch of art, writes Liana Cafolla.
During the Affordable Art Fair in Hong Kong two years ago, the artists Mike Snelle and James Golding, together known as The Connor Brothers, gave a TEDx talk. They talked about overcoming serious mental illnesses through the agency of art. Golding had suffered from feelings of inadequacy since he was a boy. Then he became a heroin addict. When the veins elsewhere in his body became numb from receiving drug injections, he resorted to injecting his foot. Snelle had suffered terrifying delusions and panic attacks since childhood and developed suicidal tendencies. In his teens he would sometimes hurt himself with a knife to force himself back to reality.
After years of trauma, both artists finally found their path to health and artistic success. At his ninth trial for stealing to buy drugs, Golding was made to check into rehab and finally weaned off heroin. Snelle was diagnosed as bipolar. Both attribute their transformation to reaching out for help and learning to talk about their demons — actions that gradually allayed the fears and feelings of shame that had haunted them for so long. Talking about their problems was instrumental to recovery and they stress the need to bring mental health issues into the open. “There is an urgent need to break the silence around mental health problems,” says Snelle.
A key part of their recovery process was the discovery of the therapeutic effects of creating art. The two friends would create collages together. “It became another way of talking about our experiences,” says Snelle. “Making art has helped me to come to terms with my past,” says Golding.
The pair’s talk inspired the organizers of Affordable Art Fair to focus part of this year’s show on art’s ability to improve physical, mental and emotional well-being, explains the fair’s director Stephanie Kelly.
“In their 2016 TEDx talk during Affordable Art Fair, they bravely talked about using art to recover from addiction and depression, breaking down a lot of taboos,” she says. “Mental health issues are often not discussed due to the stigma and we often only hear terrible statistics rather than ways to build well-being and resilience. Inspired by many of our artists we wanted to broaden our charity focus on emotional and mental well-being and the power of art.”
This year’s fair will see the works of about a thousand artists. These include paintings, sculptures, photos, prints and works in mixed media, priced from HK$1,000 to HK$100,000.
Affordable Art Fair was started in London by Will Ramsay with a view to improving people’s lives through art and at the same time benefit selected charities. The #ForArtsSake charity evening to be held tonight as part of the Hong Kong edition fulfills that aim, being an awareness and fundraising evening in support of Sovereign Art Foundation and Joyful (Mental Health) Foundation. The event includes music and dance performances and live drawing of yoga postures. Funds raised from the sales of a tote bag designed by the artist Vanessa Wong, an Affordable Art Fair find from a few years back, will go to the two charities. Her design for the bag — a playground inside a human heart — was inspired by her daughter’s natural ability to cheer her up.
Sovereign Art Foundation will use the money raised to expand its Make It Better initiative, a 27-week art program for children run in 18 partner schools and community organizations. The program offers art workshops that help underprivileged children develop self-awareness, confidence and self-respect.
Art as therapy
Yana Ng, course planning teacher and art therapist at Sovereign Art Foundation, says many of the children in the program suffer from low self-esteem.
“Self-esteem is how we perceive ourselves in relation to others. It is developed largely through relationships by feeling accepted for who we are, feeling loved and feeling part of a group.”
Ng says art can act as a valuable communication tool.
“It can help one to be more in touch with their emotions because different art materials or art forms can evoke feelings in the person using them,” she says. “Since art is not dependent on spoken language, it can be particularly helpful when someone finds it difficult to express their feelings and thoughts verbally, or when verbal expression is not enough to express what they have experienced in their life.”
Taking up creative art can also help reduce stress and improve self-awareness with very practical and life-enhancing results.
“When making art in a therapeutic manner, where there is no right or wrong way of making something or thinking about what has been made, the experience can be empowering,” she explains. “Therapeutic art aims at increasing one’s artistic skills by facilitating a process of meaningful discovery about oneself which enhances self-awareness and resilience, enabling people to better cope with the difficulties in their lives.”
Wong agrees. She says art had a positive impact on her mental health and plays “a crucial role in my life. For me art is everywhere. Making art keeps me alive and happy.”
Wong says people seeking to resolve mental health problems can find relief through art. “Focusing on doing something could really help release stress. For me drawing, painting, and making pottery are all very effective.”
Art also helps people to connect with their inner child, says Ng, with the potential for positive and liberating impacts on personality.
“For lots of adults, exploring their childish/playful side can make them feel uncomfortable due to their anxiety around regression and likely loss of control,” she says. “But being in touch with our playful, silly, whiny, angry self can be helpful in the ultimate goal of gaining access to all of our resources, including our creativity.”