The Anxiety Project, Dax Centre

Reviewed by Jan Allen

The Anxiety Project, currently on display at the Dax Centre at the University of Melbourne, presents a powerful exploration of mental health through the work of five Melbourne-based artists. The exhibition delves into personal experiences of anxiety and the role it plays in shaping the creative process. The artists – Jacqui Stockdale, Betra Fravel, Erika Gofton, Ilona Nelson, and Sarah Tomasetti – use their mediums to express not only their individual battles with anxiety but also the broader societal implications of living with mental health challenges. In this exhibition, their art serves as a conduit for understanding the intersection of mental health and creativity, providing viewers with an intimate look at how anxiety can simultaneously stifle and inspire artistic expression.

The exhibition engages the audience with a range of visual languages, from photographic depictions of embodied movement to layered paintings, sensory-driven drawings, and more traditional techniques like fresco and encaustic. Each of these forms offers a different narrative around the experience of anxiety. As Tomasetti describes it, the exhibition creates a “third space” – a conceptual area where the contradictions between anxiety and creativity can be reconciled. This space fosters connection and encourages viewers to reflect on the often-stigmatised experience of living with anxiety. The therapeutic potential of this “third space” aligns with contemporary art therapy practices, which emphasise the role of creative expression in processing and understanding complex emotions.

Cite this reviewAllen, J. (2024). Exhibition review: ‘The Anxiety Project’, Dax Centre. JoCAT, 19(2). https://www.jocat-online.org/r-24-allen

Sarah Tomasetti, Wayfinding Arrows, 2024, pigment, oil, encaustic wax on fresco skin on muslin, dimensions variable, courtesy of the artist and Australian Galleries.

One of the standout works in the exhibition is Sarah Tomasetti’s Wayfinding Arrows. Originally created on a wall and later detached, cut, and arranged around a large circular pillar, these arrows are stained in hues reflecting the sky, stone, and vegetation, creating a direct visual connection to the natural world. The varying sizes, colours, and textures of the arrows create a dynamic visual narrative, representing the anxiety of trying to move forward – both emotionally and physically – while feeling trapped in a cycle of endless repetition. The arrows, a universal symbol for direction and progress, here represent a paradox: the desire to move forward but the constant sense of being caught in a loop. This is an experience familiar to many individuals with anxiety, making the work not only visually compelling but emotionally resonant.

Jacqui Stockdale, Finished, 2006, oil on linen, 350 × 410mm, courtesy of the artist.

Jacqui Stockdale’s contribution to the exhibition is deeply personal, drawing from her own experience of severe panic attacks early in her career. The five pieces on display, painted between 2003 and 2007, reflect the emotional turmoil of this period. One particularly evocative painting features a soft toy, seemingly blinded and smothered by a pale knitted jumper, lying on a blank canvas beside an abstract natural form. This unsettling image can be interpreted in multiple ways: it may symbolise how individuals often shield themselves from distress or represent an attempt at self-soothing in moments of overwhelming fear. Stockdale’s ability to juxtapose comforting, familiar imagery with a sense of deep discomfort mirrors the lived/living experience of anxiety, where safety and terror often coexist.

Erika Gofton, Liminal, 2018, oil on linen, 810 × 660mm, courtesy of the artist.

Similarly, Erika Gofton has long lived with anxiety, describing it as a constant companion – one that is often hidden but also a powerful source of creative energy. As the founder of the Art Room in Footscray, Gofton has been instrumental in creating spaces where mental health and creativity intersect, particularly in fostering discussions around the well-being of artists. Her piece Liminal explores the complex emotions of motherhood, specifically the sense of anxiety, love, connection, and disconnection she feels in relation to her adolescent son. The work speaks to the joy and fear that often accompany the experience of parenting, and how these emotions can be both debilitating and creatively generative. Gofton’s focus on creating opportunities for conversation and community support through the arts aligns with broader creative arts therapy goals, where creative expression serves as a catalyst for promoting well-being and self-awareness.

Ilona Nelson, 24 Actions into Release, 2019, photographs on Hahnemühle bamboo paper, 200 × 6,480mm, courtesy of the artist.

Ilona Nelson’s series 24 Actions into Release uses black-and-white photography to capture the body in movement, exploring the process of transformation and emotional release. Each photograph freezes a moment of bodily expression – pain, tension, bewilderment, resignation, and, ultimately, release. These images speak to the therapeutic potential of movement as a means of processing emotional distress, echoing the principles of dance movement therapy and somatic practices. Although the chosen words accompanying the photographs remain enigmatic to the viewer, the visual language of the body offers a powerful, non-verbal connection to shared human experience.

Betra Fraval, Woven into Self, 2024, oil paint collage on linen board, 300 × 250mm, courtesy of the artist.

Betra Fravel’s work, Woven into Self, presents an equally profound exploration of emotional regulation in the face of anxiety. Her use of collaged painted linen layers to create a self-portrait illustrates the fragmented and multifaceted nature of the self as it navigates emotional challenges. The layered materials evoke the various ways in which individuals may attempt to contain and manage anxiety, holding overwhelming emotions at bay. The act of layering mirrors the therapeutic process itself – gradually building a sense of stability and regulation. This piece beautifully encapsulates the potential for art to create a safe distance from intense emotions, offering the viewer an opportunity to reflect on how art can function as both an expression of and a tool for managing mental health.

The exhibition’s themes resonate deeply with the increasing body of research showing that engagement with the arts has a positive impact on mental health. In Australia, where one in four people will experience anxiety in their lifetime, the importance of destigmatising mental health cannot be overstated. ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Jill Bennett (2022), has argued that the arts provide a powerful means for sharing complex personal experiences, inspiring others, and offering new ways to think about mental health. By bringing anxiety to the forefront of creative expression, The Anxiety Project demonstrates how art can function as both a coping mechanism and a source of connection for individuals who live with mental health challenges. It fosters empathy, reduces stigma, and highlights the therapeutic potential of creative practice.

The Anxiety Project offers a profound and multi-faceted exploration of the relationship between anxiety and creativity. Each artist brings their personal experience to the exhibition, creating a space for viewers to engage with the often-unseen emotional realities of mental health struggles. For those interested in creative arts therapies, the exhibition provides rich examples of how artistic expression can serve as a tool for emotional regulation, insight, and connection. It is a testament to the power of art to heal, inspire, and create meaning in the midst of life’s challenges.

The Dax Centre is a leader in the use of art to raise awareness and reduce stigma towards mental illness through art, and is located at 30 Royal Parade, in the Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne. This exhibition is open until December 2024.

Reference

Bennett, J. (2023). Visual communication and mental health. Visual Communication, 22(1), 46–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572221130451

Reviewer

Jan Allen

PhD, MEd, GradDip CAT, BEd
Professor Emerita Jan Allen has been an arts practitioner, researcher, and educator for over 40 years. Her most recent academic role was as the Director at MIECAT, where she taught in graduate programs, supervised doctoral candidates, developed therapeutic arts curricula, and collaborated on publications related to arts-based research, multimodal postcard dialogues, and arts and intersubjectivity. As a photographer and mixed media artist, Jan engages in a daily practice of photography and painting. She often collaborates with artists of diverse skills, believing that interdisciplinary artistic partnerships lead to innovative and thought-provoking work.