'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,’ -Einstein  

 

Having only been receiving treatment for anxiety and depression this year, I’ve never really understood my own mental health, but it has always interested me. The idea of insanity has always been fascinating, that throughout time the definition of it has changed entirely, from freakshows to mental asylums to today, where it is a common issue and is almost glorified in a sense. My work recently has centred around the idea of insanity, exploring the ideas centred around whether a ‘sane’ artist can be classed as a ‘good’ artist.  

 

The image of a distorted face personifies my own experience with a declining mental state, how  

it feels as though someone could be pulled apart, with two separate appearances; a happy, physical front and a struggling, depressed interior. Whilst the work is a self portrait of myself, I have exaggerated the features and create an unrealistic image to highlight the stigma and unrealistic standards when it comes to the idea of mental health or insanity. Acrylic and watercolour paints were used to create an unstructured piece, playing on the traditional stereotype of how a mentally unwell individual could be perceived as unsettled, messy or unstable, something which is heavily reflected with this painting.   

 

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