Body art project to fight mental health illness

Organised by the group Okay; Not Okay, the event will see people from Chennai relate their personal stories of depression or struggles with mental health to the artists — who will then paint these tales on the bodies of the audience members themselves. The body art activity is aimed at offering a fresh perspective towards mental health illness, besides encouraging a better dialogue. 

Says Sanchana Krishnan, founder of Okay; Not Okay, who hosts the initiative in Chennai, “We held a storytelling event in Chennai along the same theme last year, and now this will be the first-of-its-kind body art initiative here. The idea came to me randomly one day — depression is something which is seemingly invisible, but it manifests itself in many ways throughout the body. It may cause body trauma, self-harm, some people lose appetite, and so on. That’s when I realised the body can be used as a canvas to show strength in the trauma.” She adds that at a couple of previous events held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, participants have asked artists to paint over burns, scar marks and much more — to come to terms with their battles. 

Several artists from diverse backgrounds will be participating at the Chennai leg of the movement. College student Bianca Joseph will be one of the artists at the unique event that is being held at Backyard on March 3. The youngster, who is pursuing a fine arts course in Chennai, says, “Most of my work is themed around mental health, people’s past and emotions, etc. So when I saw the open call for artists to join this project, I could immediately empathise. Painting on someone’s body when compared to painting on paper is not that different; I really hope I can connect with the audience and they like my work.”