Almost Blue

2019

Although feelings of anxiety are normal everyday occurrences, continuous and overwhelming worry can turn into chronic and disabling anxiety. Deeply misunderstood, talking about the condition is made difficult by the widespread consideration of anxiety as something that can be easily overcome, an attitude that can lead individuals to hide their feelings and avoid seeking help.

At a time when universities worldwide are reporting an increasing number of students experiencing anxiety disorders, Almost Blue draws on personal experience and psychological findings to prompt conversation on our society's lack of understanding of the condition, while also emphasising the possibility of psychological resilience.

Resilience is often assumed to be an innate trait that only certain individuals possess. Recent studies however have demonstrated how this ability can be learned and improved throughout our life in all the areas in which it manifests: the personal, the relationships, and the community.

With this series, I draw on cognitive therapy techniques to metaphorically reconstruct a personal path of recovery.
I re-enact dynamics of everyday life and personal relationships, to eventually prompt viewers to share their own stories of mental health, resonating with the theories that describe hearing inspiring stories of others as a key strategy to build resilience.

From "A collection of Modern Reality" - Grower St. Gallery. London

Installation view from Portrait of Our Times - A Collection of Modern Realities, Gower St. Gallery, London, UK | 15th January - 28th February 2020

Carola Cappellari