Safe Space for Art

By Yuan Yuan

Located 50 minutes by bus from the center of Shanghai is an institution that used to be shrouded in mystery. Its location is better known to Shanghai locals than its name. Over the past decades， its address was commonly used in local jokes or even insults， such as the phrase “Youll be sent to 600 Wanpingnan Road.”

People considered visiting this place， the Shanghai Mental Health Center （SMHC）， a disgrace as those suffering from mental illness were labeled as “abnormal people.” Little was known about what went on within the walls of this place， which has been known simply， and pejoratively， as “the mental hospital” since its establishment in 1935.

In recent years， however， a growing public awareness of mental health issues has led to a gradual lifting of the curtain that once shielded SMHC from view. An ongoing art exhibition featuring the works of those who are living in the institution has become a bridge linking them with the outside world.

The colorful mind

Titled Gallery at No. 600， the exhibition showcases 60 framed drawings by 15 patients. The art pieces line the first floor corridor of a building inside SMHC. With little promotion， the exhibition has already attracted over 1，000 visitors since its launch on August 9. Some of these visitors have shot videos of their visits， which have been shared widely online.

Exhibition curator Chen Zhimin is a 31-yearold doctor at the hospital. He and his coworkers selected the drawings from over 1，000 artworks created by patients during group art therapy， which was introduced into the center a few years ago.

The theme of the exhibition is Line， Color and Story. Some of the works are simply a combination of abstract lines and shapes. Some painters can describe clearly what their artworks depict； others cant. “No matter what the art pieces portray， they are a way to reach into the inner worlds of the patients，” Chen said.

Liu Bin （pseudonym）， painter of the work Tornado， is a patient at the SMHCs rehabilitation center who created the work two years ago. It depicts a vortex with radiating curved lines. When he later visited the exhibition， he told the doctor he wanted to change the title to Convergence. “Its as though we， the patients， are inside the vortex and the radiating lines are like the hands from helpers such as doctors， nurses and social workers，” he said. “It is like the convergence of helping power.”

Wu Na （pseudonym）， who suffers from schizophrenia， is the only female painter among the 15. Her work is a combination of circles， triangles and lines in different colors and it is entitled No Name.