Between Happiness and Despair -exhibition

Date 18.-24.11.
Time daily 12-18

Welcome to experience the Between Happiness and Despair -exhibition that is final exhibition for the Erasmus + project between Art House Turku and Kunsthal NORD in Alborg, Denmark.

DK: Ric Raphael Nitsch   Nina Rose Markvardsen   Birgitte Lundtoft
FIN: Matilda Palmu   Marja Kangas   Eka Teriina Vea Kosonen   Nina Rantala

Mental health and well-being have become one of the biggest topics in the political landscape.  Even though Denmark and Finland are crowned the “Happiest Countries” year after year by the UN’s Happiness Report, their citizens mental health and well-being are worse than the EU average when it comes to illnesses such as depression and anxiety. In both countries, the health sector is falling behind in meeting the growing need for treatment of the mental health of their citizens.  As a response, more and more private and public funds and policies aim to address mental health concerns through art and cultural activities, pushing the development of the emerging field of art and health onto artists and cultural actors alike – creating a paradigm shift for what art can and should be.  

Between happiness and despair tries to investigate to these questions by exploring how artists can engage with mental well-being through their existing art praxis.  Through residencies, lectures, group discussions, and by facilitating participatory art events, the participating artists have developed their work into something that might benefit the well-being of their fellow citizens. And they have offered their solution as to how they can perceive and understand their own role when working in the space between art and health.