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Artists from Bahrain and across the Middle East are drawing attention to the complex conversation around psychological wellbeing with their pieces in the region’s first virtual mental health art exhibition.
The virtual reality (VR) exhibition, which started last week and runs until August 10, features 70 pieces from 19 artists, depicting their experiences and struggles with mental health. It is being hosted by The Art Space and curated by Bahraini artist Zayn Al Qahtani.
Esra Faraj, founder and managing director of The Art Space, told GulfWeekly: “The idea behind Safer Spaces was born out of a meeting between Zayn and myself about wanting to bring the mental health conversation to the forefront in the region. Whilst originally the show was supposed to exist within the parameters of the physical Art Space gallery, as the pandemic progressed and the planet went into lockdown, it was not a project that we wanted to give up, pushing the boundaries of technology to create a virtual gallery experience.”
The Art Space received hundreds of applications from across the region, which were curated by Zayn and the team down to the final 19, featuring primarily Bahrain-based artists, in addition to Kuwaiti and Palestinian artists.
Created by The Art Space’s web development team, the exhibition can be experienced from the safety and comfort of a browser, and features three virtual hallways, symbolising the journey from the conscious to subconscious and unconscious mind.
With lo-fi music specifically chosen to complement the journey, viewers can explore halls, magnify each piece to view in detail, leave comments in the guestbook and share screenshots of their favourite pieces on social media using the hashtag #SaferSpacesVR.
Zayn added: “The show begins light and bright, and allows the logical, thinking brain to relax into a more introspective, healing brain. This expansion allows the journey into the dark, mysterious subconscious, where many of our feelings regarding our own mental health are suppressed. In a way, the show is a journey of recognition and healing.
“It consists of various subconscious symbolism – artists aggressively applying paint onto canvases; silent, mourning photographs, futuristic digital art, expressive figurative work – all of these we consider different neurological pathways that lead to and awaken various parts of the mind, to connect with different emotions and memories, in different people.”
Each artist has reflected their own struggles and challenges with mental health in their pieces.
Salman Al Najem, whose work Paranoia can be found in the third gallery, said: “When I was 20, the painting ‘Paranoia’ emerged after exploring alternative states of rigorous and constant self inquiry. During this time, I was constantly thinking about what it means to be a “real man” and that it was time for me to become one. I have struggled while being torn between wanting to be considered “good” by society while also wanting to be myself, so I kept asking myself: “if I am who I am, am I bad?
“We all go through phases of our lives when our minds get the best of us. I think the more we speak about mental health the more we can remove the taboo that surrounds it. The taboo adds a layer of shame that prevents many from speaking about their condition to seek guidance and help.”
Mental health is a difficult topic of discussion globally. But with psychiatrists and psychologists anticipating that it to be part of the fallout of social distancing restrictions put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19, both the art and science ends of the societal spectrum, across multiple generations, are finding it relevant to their work.
Esra said: “Many more citizens of the elder generation are being made aware of the adverse effects of neglected mental health and are more open-minded when discussing feelings and emotions with their children. The world’s climate in general is going through a gradual but apparent shift – attitudes towards mental health are changing, and Safer Spaces aims to be a catalyst in the region to foster that shift.
“We also wanted to have a specific millennial influence considering that the emerging artists of today are the first generation to grow up with the limitless influence of ever-developing technology and have grown up with a stark awareness of their own mental health in this era of “technological booming.”
Follow @artspace.bh on Instagram to check out the exhibition.
