Stephen Fry Mind President
Creativity in the arts has long been associated with mental health problems. The archetype of the tortured genius suffering for their art reinforces the perceived link between the darker recesses of the mind and its astonishing capacity for inspiration.
Our cultural history is littered with examples of artistic visionaries who have created some of the greatest works of all time while experiencing mental illness. It has been suggested that both Michaelangelo and Beethoven may have had bipolar disorder, while Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath took their own lives following numerous bouts of depression. Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Edvard Munch and Jackson Pollock are just a few more who have experienced various mental health problems - the list goes on.
Recent research has suggested a clinical link that supports this anecdotal evidence, and it is certainly my experience that my manic periods have resulted in outbreaks of increased energy and creative productivity. It is also true, however, that my depressive cycles have caused black moods, self-doubt and creative blocks that have had a negative effect on my work as well as my health.
Art has been a hugely important part of my life and I am delighted that Mindful will signify the first event for me as President of Mind. I am honoured and delighted to take up this role for a wonderful charity that performs vital work to help anyone who experiences a mental health problem.This stunning collection of artefacts, expertly curated by the inspirational Stuart Semple, is a feast for the eyes and the mind, and I thank you wholeheartedly for supporting both this exhibition and this charity.
Stuart Semple Curator / Mind Ambassador
After a traumatic near death experience following a sudden allergic reaction in my teens, I was left with a very severe anxiety and eating disorder.The basic functions of day-to-day life became a terrifying battle. Getting through the day without a panic attack that felt like I was dying, was a miracle. I was lucky if I got off with just one of those; four or five were common.
A week without calling out the ambulance was a good week. I couldn’t leave my flat and I couldn’t be alone.The thought of swallowing pills would trigger an attack, group therapy didn’t work out for me and other speaking therapies were limiting as I found it difficult for me to express myself. I was lucky in the fact that my art was always there for me as something that I could lean on.The amazing work that has been included in the show by some of the biggest artists working today is surely testament to how important the issue of mental health is to the wider artistic community too.
Its my hope that Mindful will show that it’s OK for us to talk about our mental health problems, whilst raising as much as possible for the Mind creative therapies fund. Hopefully as many people as possible can engage in proper art therapy throughout England and Wales. I firmly believe that by opening up creative outlets for those whose mental health is suffering, we will change lives.
After all, what is life if it’s not our felt emotions within our surroundings? To me, how we feel is how our reality is and therefore there’s nothing more important that finding ways
to expand and ignite good mental health for as many people as possible.The arts whether drawing, painting, music, dance or drama really do make a difference.
Mindful as an exhibition endeavors to take the cerebral unseen and to remove it from the shadows where it can be viewed in an open environment. By making a mental faculty physical it celebrates the light that can come through darkness and pinpoints arts vital role for humanity. It is my hope that all
the works within the show will build up a dialogue that is as complex and layered as arts relationship with mental health.
For example, Annie Kevans work directly deals with her interest in history’s fluctuating perspective on madness and it’s relationship to success, through depicting seminal historic figures who have suffered from mental health problems. She points her faded painterly finger at resultant social stigma through the ages.The fact that Sebastian Horsely traveled to the Philippines and subjected himself to a personal crucifixion is the ultimate viewer catharsis. In line with the Christian discourse it comes from, the artist takes us to the edge of humanity so that viewers after him don’t have to go there themselves.Whether it’sTurner strapping himself to the mast of a boat,Van Gogh depicting a cornfield or Bacon destroying his studio, it’s my belief that artists who walk to the extremities for us provide a vital and liberating function for our society. Tessa Farmer’s installation piece shows how she harnesses her creativity to understand her depressive moments and the Chapman brothers ‘Little death machine’ portrays the inertia of a broken down mechanism and ultimately the futility of
what might drive us. It’s my hope that the exhibition will argue a sort of double catharsis experienced by both the artist and the viewer.
The Mind creative therapies fund is a very simple and direct way to contribute to specific arts therapies throughout England and Wales. Mental ill health isn’t some rarity; the statistic says that one in four of us will experience mental distress in any given year.
A huge amount of work has gone into putting this together, so I want to thank everyone that has generously given work, time or assistance. What I urge you to do, if you have the means, is to buy some art, put some money in a donation bucket, bid at the auction or buy a ticket to one of our events because this really has the potential to change the quality of life for a lot of people.
Paul Farmer Mind Chief Executive
The powerful and thought-provoking artworks on display in this exhibition provide a significant insight into the mind of the artist, and examine the links between mental health and creativity. It is therefore entirely fitting that all funds raised from Mindful will help Mind to provide creative therapies across England and Wales for people experiencing mental health problems.
Creative therapies can play a vital role in the management of, and recovery from, mental health problems, providing more profound and long-lasting healing than many more standard forms of treatment. Run by a trained therapist in a therapeutic environment, creative therapies, including painting, music, sculpture and many more ar tistic disciplines, can provide people with a powerful means of expression and release from trauma. They can enable people to accept and deal with emotions or events, or live with the memory of difficult experiences.They are particularly helpful for those who feel disengaged from their feelings or who find it too difficult to address painful experiences in words, and would therefore have difficulty engaging with talking therapies.
These therapies are provided through our 160 local Minds across England and Wales. Rooted in their community, these organisations run essential services that are needed by local people in mental distress. Last year, more than 220,000 people benefited from our services, and it is thanks to the generous support of our donors that we can continue to reach so many people. I thank you for your support of Mindful and urge you to give generously so we can continue to provide help for anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our departing President Lord Melvyn Bragg, who has led Mind so impressively over the past fifteen years. Our charity owes him a huge debt of gratitude for his loyal service.This event sees the baton pass over to Stephen Fry, an inspirational figure to many, who, I am sure, will lead our charity to more successes over the coming years.
