October 10 is World Mental Health Day, which aims to raise awareness of mental ill-health and, hopefully, remind us to take a little extra care of ourselves.
And while some of the messaging can feel a little stale and corporate, an encouraging feature this year has been the quality and quantity of mental health-themed art showcased on Instagram. The site has become a gallery, where artists’ work transforming their difficulties, their successes, and their lived experience has been on display.
Sometimes, words aren’t enough. Or they’re too much. So there’s a strong argument for using visuals to make a statement, or express something that would otherwise be inexpressible.
There’s a variety of work, from the highly technical to the simpler and more expressive, but what has really stood out is the honesty. These artists present a new (sometimes encouraging, sometimes authentically hard) way to see conditions like depression, schizophrenia, OCD and more.
So rather than feel alone, I’m celebrating some of the visual artists featured on Instagram whose work presents a different perspective on mental health.
The Life Of Sharks
Leah Riley
Option B
Holls Walck
Brit
BEE
Wellcome Collection
Geloy Concepcion
Do celebrate each piece of art with us and give the creators a follow on Instagram if you feel inspired or moved.
Image by Gordon Johnson