The “Zallery”
… a virtual exhibition of zine artwork exploring the question:
“If your art could talk, what would it say?”
This collection of artwork is from the Art Therapy Lab Digital Zine open call submissions.
Artists, creatives, and human beings from all parts of the world were asked to email us an artwork, title, and caption answering this question. We received responses from Norway, Ukraine, Mexico, France, USA, Netherlands, England, and more.
Here are their answers…
Come, let's sit on the edge of my mind, the view is better from there: "The more surreal, the more liberating." IG: kurszancollage
Orchislimax Ungula: "You like me, but you are also afraid of me." IG: anneoldenhuis
22 V 22: "Hold you tight. Lace yourself. Raise your arms as a fortress. Own bulwark against distress. Mother, keeper, prop and priest. (He)art’s a landmark in the mist. Let the craftwork be your guide. Shine a light from your dark side." IG: gluedbrain
Drowned Scream: "How frustrated I am feeling." IG: maryteran
Feeling Good: "I want to feel better, I can feel better, I'm going to feel better." IG: yo___sofia
What Else is There: "There is great clarity, strength and calm that comes from solitude and connecting with nature. Being alone helps me to understand myself on a deeper level but also is the best meditation practice. Taking a walk through deep forest, by the river or wild gloomy fields, sitting with my thoughts and letting my mind wander truly helps to get know myself and switch off completely. It takes me back to my roots." IG: _agazart_
Untitled: "My art would speak in scratchy whispering harsh tones as it creeps above granite peaks and blows snow drifts near and far. It would tell a story of past defiance and current strengths & beckon more to come forth."
Glide: "I don't take myself too seriously, let others tell my story and hopefully make people smile." IG: r.t.malarkey
HUNGER: "In 2022, when a person has the opportunity to get ready-made food or products without leaving home, Ukrainians in the occupied territories are forced to get food at the cost of their own lives. It is wild to even think that the Holodomor can repeat itself in our time. But it is really so. In the civilized world, the aggressor country destroys food on the territory of independent Ukraine: it shoots animals on farms, burns grain fields. Does humanity still want to do business with such inhumane creatures? This analog collage was created for the "PARALLELS" project dedicated to the memory of Holodomor victims of 1932-33 in Ukraine." IG: xxthemoment
Exquisite: "This work represents a part who is ready to leave the frozen tundra and have Self energy bring it some ease, and another part who still needs to stand guard of grief." IG: kristineanthisphd
Witness: "Bear witness to the moral monsters behind the war & build strength & resilience."
Meet Me In Lisbon: “Meet me in Lisbon; to one of my dearest friends that I’m missing." IG: irisweavercollage
Meditation: "It’s all about that work/play balance." IG: cutandpastethebody
Icarus: "Lightly, child, lightly" IG: hncsk_
Recovery: "Wait until the time is right and then begin to push... pushing it out anyway. Test the walls of your cocoon, even when it feels safer to remain. Sometimes, we take action to soon to relieve feelings of being stuck, discomfort or anxiety about how a situation will turn out. An action taken to soon can be as ineffective as one taken to late. It can backfire and cause more problems than it solves. Usually, when we wait until the time is right, the discomfort is transforming and we are slightly empowered to accomplish what we need to do to be who we are."
Strength: "Inside I'm dying but my pride lifts me up" IG: yo___sofia
Grief and Loss: "Although my heart is still broken I can accept her death. Accepting a death goes far deeper than just accepting they are no longer here on earth." IG: tracyemeagher
Warrior: "Wounded for life as a girl. Survivor with no say. Struggling and escaping. Trying to make sense of the atrocities committed against her by her own father. At her core she was pure love. She found her voice in her old age. Her smile says it all..."
Tous Ces Maux Inutiles / All Those Useless Pains: "You can continue to shine regardless of all those pains in the World. And that it's ok. More than ever, the World needs your beauty and your soul to shine. You may think that there is nothing you can do, that you are way too small, but I can guarantee you, you can make a huge difference." IG: jolaf.joannelafrance
On Love: "I am layered. I am complex. I am work. I am worth it." IG: shereendabean
Mouthpiece: "I will always find a way to be heard even though you try to silence me." IG: LynneConnolly_stitchography
Back-up: Grief process about the loss of my father: "You are still on the same boat with me, you are still on the same rock with me. You are still my daughter. You can always feel my support in your back. We are just discovering a new universe of connection. Travelling in between. I am still there for you. Just travel and you'll find me. "
Stay the Course: "Stay the course and carry on. This is a beautiful time in your life that you won't have again." IG: minettehand
Life In Between: "You know, I am a romantic. I love beautiful things and travel and such. I came on a boat, I was a sailor. And I found this place, I don’t know how. I guess it was meant to be. I can sing and dance, I was a singer and a dancer. I didn’t have a degree in beach conservation or anything. But, you see, I have a heart! Our beach was untouched when I first came here. You know what happens to coasts around the world these days. They get developed. Roads come and more buildings. It’s part of my purpose in life, the protection of this beach together with other people. One person alone couldn’t have done it. But I shouted, I spoke, I said…. And what happened? They began to listen... Oh, love. A lot of things wouldn’t have happened without love." IG: vickymarkolefa
BREAK-THROUGH: "It would about the difficulty to make art and be creative when the pressures of capitalism force us to work or worry about work for the majority of our time." IG: allsortsrosa
Waiting: "This work is about anticipatory grief and loss... Our happy place alongside the pain and suffering of treatment." IG: juliebyerscreativelife
The "Solitary" Wanderer: "I wish we could trust each other and coexist with any and every species" IG: yo___sofia
Many Voices in My Head: "We are feeling overwhelmed by the many thoughts, that are playing around in our minds, the volume of thoughts can tire us, sometimes even hurt us, and then we need to find ways how to deal with them, how to free ourselves from them. Light tones and textures in my collage symbolize that there is always a way how to make yourself free and breathe again without many voices in your head." IG: madara.mie
Still Watching: "So this is where you’re at, what are you going to do about it?" IG: sylviacharbonnier
Shout: N/A
Words Inside Your Head: "You're the one who observes. "Awareness is who we are. The world calls it the truth self... Our eternal home. (...) You're the alert witness. Awareness, Consciousness (...)" - Deepak Chopra" IG jo.ao.pdf
A Place for Us to Dream: "We all yearn for a home. What about if we build it from within?" IG: yo___sofia
A Patchwork Quilt: "In this collage of paintings, various palettes and prints have been combined to reflect how I began to resort to colors to assuage my confusion and distress. Colors allow me to understand my psychological disposition and maintain composure in this very chaotic, stressful world. Every color and texture in this piece holds onto a passing thought or emotion. This personal exploration allowed me to realize that each day comprises an amalgamation of emotions. Each of these paintings describes some of my days over a period of time—some good and some bad, some that felt longer and more difficult, and others that felt shorter and somewhat easier."
Untitled: “Images are a source of power, they mobilize energy, while I construct performatively with A archives, I am carrying out my purge, my detoxification”