Hidden Visions

About

The name Hidden Visions was chosen as mental illness is invisible and is very often concealed due to shame or fear caused by the negative stigma surrounding it. The word vision symbolizes the notion that visions are very often mental, as well as the fact that all of the art, comprising of paintings, collage, drawings, photography and sculpture, is visual.

National statistics from the Mental Health Foundation show that mental illness will affect one in four of us in our lifetime. The Time to Change campaign has explained that the portrayal of those suffering from mental health issues in the media are usually either done as either violent or tragic ‘victims’, often being referred to in a discriminatory way. Hidden Visions aims to dispel these negative stereotypes by illustrating that those affected by mental distress should not be defined by their illness only. Throughout history, many artists such as Edvard Munch, Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh have been the targets of mental maladies, yet it did not hinder their work. Thanks to funding from O2 Think Big, Hidden Visions will hopefully help to alter public perception on mental health and provide exposure to some eye-opening artwork.

With works by: Maeve Buckenham, Miranda Chance, Darcy Keverian, Bethany Lamont, Stephanie Linne, Tom Plumptre, John Michael Taylor