The Parliament of the Canary Islands is hosting, starting this Tuesday, the collective painting exhibition made by patients from the Mental Health Area of the University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC), an artistic project led by the painter Elia Estévez that seeks to highlight the transformative power of art as a tool for expression, healing, and dignity.
Astrid Pérez, president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, inaugurated this exhibition, which coincides with the commemoration of World Mental Health Day, to be held on October 10. Fernando Gómez-Pamo Guerra del Río, general director of Mental Health and Addictions, Rafael Martín Domínguez, manager of the HUC, Fernando de Montiano Valero, head of the Subacute Unit and Active Rehabilitation Unit Service of the Psychiatric Hospital, which reports to the HUC, and Carmen Delia Leal Bienes, representative of the Center for Popular Canarian Culture (CCPC), also participated in the event.
Astrid Pérez highlighted that "each stroke, each color, and each form reflected here speaks to us of an intimate struggle, but also of the transformative power of art and culture. Showing these creations in public spaces such as Parliament helps to break down stigmas and prejudices associated with mental health," she stated.
For his part, the manager of the HUC, Rafael Martín Domínguez, stressed that "this exhibition not only represents talent, but also symbolizes therapy through culture."
The representative of the CCPC, Carmen Delia Leal Bienes, emphasized that "it is an honor to have accompanied patients for 40 years, serving as a bridge to introduce pleasant, edifying, and fun moments into the center with didactic work, helping to break the stigma of mental illness."
The President of Parliament congratulated the patients and the artist Elia Estévez for "the courage to share their processes and emotions with the whole of society" and highlighted the importance of the works "transcending the walls of the hospital, because they are an expression of life, of emotions and of stories that deserve to be known and valued."
The exhibition will be open to the public in the Exhibition Hall of the Parliament of the Canary Islands until October 14, during the usual opening hours of the Autonomous Chamber.
