Gwangju Art Psychology Counseling Center Holds 'Art Exhibition' Showcasing Counseling Outcomes

Until the 30th at Yesulgonggan Uijip... 'Drawing the Heart: It's Okay, You're Doing Well' Theme

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] An art exhibition showcasing the achievements of art psychological counseling will be held in Gwangju.

Organized by Heart Therapy Gwangju Art Psychological Counseling Center, the exhibition titled "Drawing the Mind: 'It's Okay, You're Doing Well'" will be held until the 30th at the Art Space Jip in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The venue will be closed on Sundays and during the Lunar New Year holidays.

The exhibition demonstrates various communication and healing methods that art brings out within our society.

Art psychological counseling is a combination of art and psychology. Art is a form of expression that humanity possessed before writing or speech. Therefore, it leads to various other modes of communication that words or writing cannot show.

Art psychological counseling can be described as the integration of psychology that reflects on the mind. Its primary role is to provide psychological stability to children, adolescents, and adults who find it difficult to express emotions or experiences verbally by encouraging them to draw or create.

Furthermore, art plays a special role in soothing and stabilizing the mind by helping individuals convey and organize their experiences in more detail. For those with developmental disabilities, art activities are conducted considering their developmental immaturity, greatly assisting them in overcoming their disabilities to some extent.

Among these various processes, the artworks of those with special artistic talents often reveal delicate and unique artistic worlds comparable to those of professional artists.

This exhibition is a collection of various paintings seen during the art psychological counseling process. The exhibition was led by Director Choi Sunmi of Heart Therapy Art Psychological Counseling Center, which has been steadily conducting art psychological counseling activities since its establishment in Gwangju in 2008.

Director Choi Sunmi majored in Korean painting at university, earned a master's degree in art therapy at Yeungnam University Graduate School, and completed a doctoral program in art psychological therapy at her alma mater, Chosun University.

Through various activities related to art therapy, she dreamed of a world where more people come together as a community through art. She held the exhibition to share with many the special healing and creative power of art that gradually changes the world beyond disabilities and non-disabilities.

At first glance, the paintings may look like ordinary children's drawings, but among them are works created with outstanding artistic sensibility despite autism, as well as paintings that accurately express the artist's inner feelings.

Choi Sunmi, director of Heart Therapy Art Psychological Counseling Center, said, "I hope this exhibition becomes a great source of strength for many people," and added, "Before healing through art, I hope everyone can say that their true selves are lovable just as they are."

Meanwhile, Director Choi is an art therapy specialist of the Korean Art Therapy Association and a director of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Counseling Association. Since 2008, she has been operating Heart Therapy Art Psychological Counseling Center. The center provides developmental rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, treatment support services through the education office, and community service investment projects. It also conducts group art psychological counseling for elementary, middle, and high school students and operates various educational training programs for teachers and parents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.