Expressive arts therapy sessions at M+ museum use Yayoi Kusama’s work to help Hong Kong youth draw on emotions
- Registered arts therapist Terrence Zee is leading workshops for tertiary students from March to May to guide them in expressing themselves freely
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Expressive arts therapy combines psychology with creative practices, such as drawing and writing. Photo: Laura LavianiWhen registered arts therapist Terrence Zee led a workshop at the M+ museum last month, he noticed that most participants were anxious at first.
“The first thing they’re worried about is whether the art they make is pretty,” he said of the expressive arts therapy sessions, which use creativity to promote emotional growth and healing.
“Pretty or not is never the main point,” Zee stressed.
Explore the life and art of Yayoi Kusama at M+ museum
Instead, the therapist wants participants to use the creative process to help them embrace their emotions.
The workshop is part of a programme organised by M+, the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Behavioural Health, and the government’s Shall We Talk initiative. The activities, offered to tertiary students from March to May, aim to encourage conversations between art and mental health.
“To young people, maybe expressing [themselves] verbally might not be the best or easiest way,” Zee explained. “Through art, we can see how they engage with their own feelings and create a space of their own.”
Conversations between art and the mind
The programme was inspired by Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese contemporary artist known for incorporating her struggles with mental illness into her work. Themes of healing and mental health are baked into the artist’s exhibition at M+, “Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now”.
“In fact, our key message around the exhibition was that art can uplift, sustain and heal,” said Keri Ryan, lead curator of learning and interpretation at the museum.
The team wanted to translate the visionary artist’s experiences in a way that would encourage young people to speak openly about mental well-being and seek support.
Thus, the expressive arts therapy sessions incorporate Kusama’s art and poetry to inspire and guide participants through a journey of self-discovery.
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“Kusama herself has gone through ups and downs in her life which brings her different states of emotions,” explained Zee who is one of two therapists facilitating these workshops.
Throughout her life, the 94-year-old artist has dealt with trauma, depression, hallucinations and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She stays in a psychiatric hospital for treatment, and creating art has helped her cope with her mental illnesses.
“Part of anyone’s emotional journey is recognising their highs and their lows, and someone like Kusama has demonstrated how she’s moved through them,” Ryan pointed out.
In Kusama’s work, the curator sees glimpses of how the artist has tackled fear and grief. “Painting these colourful paintings does help her because it’s given her this will to live ... She often talks about that idea of making art to survive.”
Safe space to share
For Kusama, art heals. And Zee hopes to bring that energy to young people in the city, helping them heal their minds with art. In the expressive arts therapy sessions, it is crucial to create a safe space for sharing.
“You never know the background and experience of people coming into your session. They might not feel comfortable talking about themselves,” Zee explained.
The therapist noted that in Hong Kong and in the Chinese community, many people seldom talk about their emotions. It can be seen as taboo to share too much about what is on their minds.
To create a secure environment, he tells participants not to be judgmental of others’ thoughts and art. He reminds them that it is OK to stop sharing if they don’t feel like talking – they should move at their own pace. Another ground rule is to ask for permission before photographing someone’s work. Then, the art begins.
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“For example, I’d invite them to draw what they like without thinking – just to empty themselves and draw. This is also a process of self-soothing. It acts like a tool to calm them down and bring them back to a moment where they are aware of their emotions,” Zee said.
Afterwards, he guides the participants in talking about their feelings based on the art they made. Zee added: “We also guide them in how to embrace these emotions and thus cope with them and self-help.”
Ryan hopes these workshops can help young people to enjoy themselves and not be afraid of their feelings.
“When you’re looking at an object or an artwork, there’s no right or wrong answer. So it does free you from having that space of judgment,” the curator explained. “That’s very empowering.”
“Healing doesn’t end at Kusama,” Ryan stressed. “The gallery is full of works in the collection that will also open up similar pathways ... unlocking some of those thoughts or ideas that people have.”
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