Healing power of art on display for all to see, thanks to Hong Kong therapists’ new endeavour
- Hong Kong Expressive Arts Therapy Service Centre uses several creative mediums to help people display emotions
- Some patients who struggle to express themselves verbally can draw, paint, dance, or play a musical instrument instead
When the directorof a small art exhibition in Hong Kong wanted to buy an unassuming illustration, which showed a woman holding up an umbrella under a sky of abstract black and white shapes, he had no idea how empowering that small act would be for its creator.
The piece had been produced during an expressive arts therapy session by a woman who had no confidence in her own drawing, but, encouraged by her therapist Canna Tang, had submitted it for a public arts festival exhibition.
So, when the director of an exhibition at ACO Book in Wan Chai showed an unexpected interest in a piece its artist deemed subpar, it gave her a new sense of confidence and validation.
Janet Li, another therapist and counsellor, has also long understood the power of art therapy, since verbal methods were not always well-suited for her elderly patients.
“Sometimes they cannot name their emotions, we needed to find some new ways to really touch their hearts,” Li said.
