By Dominique Tassell
A new art exhibition is open in town, running for the next month.
STARS, which stands for Stanthorpe Therapeutic Arts and Recovery Space, is showing an exhibition titled “A Sense of Awareness“.
STARS is an NGO that strives to deliver artistic programs and support through art therapy.
Rachel Whieldon’s installation, “Untitled”, is an expression of all the different sides there are to her.
“When we were first posed the idea of self-portraits and self-awareness, it took me a while to get into it.“
Rachel said she didn’t want to do traditional labels of society, mother, daughter, and friend.
“They didn’t appeal to me, I wanted to go deeper,“ she said.
“I’m multi-faceted. We all are.“
Rachel said she had actually had an image come to her, “of the universe of me“.
“Instead of the universe with the sun in the middle, my heart is in the middle.“
She said her installation represents all the aspects of self, constantly going around her heart.
The installation is made with paper mache, which Rachel said was “very time-consuming“.
There was a lot of trial and error to get it how she wanted.
The installation seeks to express the complexity of being human.
“I feel I’m a complex person, there are many levels to me.“
Rachel said she used different mediums to express this, incorporating barbed wire and fairy lights into her work.
Her installation showcases being fragile and vulnerable, with all her sharp and soft edges.
“In the beginning, I actually wanted quite a lot of barbed wire around my heart,“ Rachel said.
“I’ve done a lot of work on myself and who I am as a woman.“
Rachel said she feels really fortunate to be able to be a part of and exhibition, and to be involved with STARS.
With art therapy, she said, you often explore concepts that people don’t often do.
“We’re often so in our lives and day-to-day mundaneness,“ she said. “It takes a lot of explore stuff and confront things about ourselves you might not normally.“
“STARS has been pivotal in that process and guiding us to really explore ourselves.“
“Everyone has a different perspective of themselves,“ she said. “It’s really interesting to see them all together in the exhibit.
Rachel has been part of the group for a couple of years now and said she’s had really good success working with them.
“Art therapy has been pivotal in my own mental health recovery,“ she said.
Rachel said art therapy has given her a capacity to really self reflect and to be intentional.
It has helped her to really examine her emotions, how she relates with herself and interacts with the world around her.
“Art therapy has given me a platform to be able to do that in meaningful ways,“ she said.
“It’s amazing, everyone should try it.“
Art therapy is held at STARS at 97a Folkestone Street Stanthorpe on Friday mornings from 9:30am to 11:30am.
“I’m a huge advocate for art therapy,“ Rachel said. I’ve done it and I know it works.“
