Fifteen artists have come together to support mental health patients in a major exhibition of their work in Lagos. The Art of Healing is a charity that aims to reach people with such disorders in Africa through art as a form of therapy. It is in association with Alliance Francaise de Lagos, a non-profit organization.
The exhibition, which began on Saturday and will end on Tuesday, has as its theme ‘We see; We Dream, We Hope’, and serves to raise funds to enable the completion of the project at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital and continue to renovate the interiors of mental health institutions in Africa.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, TAOH founder Benji Oomuku noted that people struggling with mental health need all the help they can get from society and the government.
He said: “Mental health patients need all the help they can get from the government and all sectors of society, and we are happy to intervene through art.
“We help people in difficult circumstances by painting hospital rooms with art created by leading contemporary artists to bring wholesomeness, hope, and generally enhance their experience as patients.”
He emphasized that the organizers were targeting the mind through images, thus creating a healing environment. The exhibition features works by Akanimo Umoh, Deborah Segun, Edozie Anedu, Gerald Chukwuma, Kelani Abass, Kwaduo Asiedu, Nengi Omuku, Niyi Okeowo, Nzubechukwu Ozoemena, Olayemi Faggohungbe, Olumide Onadipe, Richardson Ovbiebo, Roanna Tella, Tega Akpokona, and Yadichinma. Ukoha-Kalu, and will be curated by Tony Agbapuonwu.
