Art for
mental health

As in many corners of the world, in Senegal mental health is often seen as taboo. Those with severe mental illness are highly stigmatized; those coping with anxieties around day-to-day life remain mostly hidden from view. The Atelier d'EX-pression is a safe space created for collective expression, connection and healing for in-and-out patients at the psychiatric clinic in Fann hospital, Dakar, Senegal. Under the guidance of Alassane Seck, this space has been welcoming patients since 1999. As well as being a place of expression and relaxation for all who pass through, the Atelier also organizes exhibitions showcasing the work of patients from the Atelier, most recently at the Biennale de Dakar 2022, the Biennale in Lyon 2023 and the Wellbeing Summit Dakar-Thiès 2023. I have been collaborating with the Atelier d'EX-pression since 2019 - both assisting Alassane Seck during collective art therapy sessions at the clinic, mobilising funding to support the Atelier d'EX-pression, curating exhbitions of paintings created by patients, and connecting with the media to sensitive the general public about mental health issues. RESCAP'ART, the associative arm of the Atelier is always looking for partners to co-create new projects: - funding for much needed arts supplies - organizing exhibitions of paintings created by patients. - dreaming big to create a permanent gallery of paintings created by people living with mental illnesses. A special thanks goes to the Luxembourg embassy in Dakar for their support in organising exhibitions of paintings during the Dakar Biennale in 2022 and 2024, as well as a film on the reintegration of people living with mental illness.