The discussion and exhibition of the works by the users of psychiatric services, created on the workshops held during September in the cultural stations Egység and Svilara, will be held in the Svilara Cultural Station on 5 October, at 6 p.m. Fine art works represent the users’ answers to the question of their identities and experience regarding psychiatry. Every piece of fine art work is an expression of their lives prior to being hospitalized, and of their experiences during hospitalization itself.
These events will be implemented as part of the ‘Towards Another – Art of the Invisible’ project by the ‘Patrija’ Association of Citizens, which is one of the 42 projects that received funds within the ‘Artists. Now!’ public call for local artists and associations of the ‘Novi Sad 2021 – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation, aimed at strengthening the local cultural scene, raising its capacities through a network of cultural stations, decentralisation of culture and audience development.
This panel’s topic will be the implementation of the project, art therapy as a form of society initiative, deinstitutionalisation, support within the community and an open dialogue. The participants in the discussion are: Lepa Mlađenović, feminist consultant for women traumatized by sexual abuse, activist of the feminist, lesbian, anti-war and anti-psychiatry movements; Aleksandra Mirimanov, fine artist and pedagogue advisor in the Integrative Art Psychotherapy; Tatjana Stojšić Petković, psychologist, activist for the rights of disabled people and laughter yoga leader and Milica Lazić, PhD in psychological science, scientific associate at the FFNS and expert associate within the ‘Patrija’ Association of Citizens. The moderator of the panel will be Vojana Obradović, MA in psychology, educator of transactional-assimilative approach to psychotherapy and who is currently studying for a PhD.
The goal of this project is resocialization and strengthening of the persons with psychosocial difficulties by offering support through art-therapy workshops. In addition to this, the aim of this project is to familiarize the citizens with both personal and structural problems this marginalized group of people encounters on a daily basis, which in turn add to their stigmatization and leaving of these vulnerable groups on the margins.
The aim of the discussion and exhibition, despite all the differences, is to find the things we all have in common, awaken the prejudices we all have, inform on the facts related to mental health and deeply understand that anyone, in the moment of weakness, can find themselves in the situation where they would need a psychiatric support.
