Sneak Preview: Art Made Out of Pain

Do you remember my blog post about Golgothica? The sim seems to be disappeared but the talk with the artist Antrozous Frostwych and her alt, the therapist Ruth Verne was one of my highlights as blogger. She is RL therapist and uses sometimes Second Life as a protected environement for her clients. Of course I followed the invitation to her gallery:

Antrozous Frostwych: I have a new show opening at the gallery soon of another artist who lives near me in Hawaii...the work is about her emotional experience of child abuse. Arubella Porthos' work "Speaking the Pain" is a series of digital images and poetry expressing her emotional experience of child sexual abuse.

Quan Lavender: Wow, that painting with the arms ist strong!

Antrozous Frostwych: So this is the RL work of Arubella Porthos....she is also writing some poetry to put up about it. Her art is like her therapy.

Quan Lavender: So I can write what happened to her?

Antrozous Frostwych: Yes, she put this on display for that reason.  She was sexually abused by her father. She is one of my therapy clients and this is a project she did to help her heal.

Quan Lavender: If Ruth would be here, what would she say about the usual problems abused children later have in life?

Antrozous Frostwych smiles: Ruth would say that the greatest emotional scar many abused children carry into adulthood comes from the feeling of betrayal.

Quan Lavender: The lack of trust which they carry their whole life?

Antrozous Frostwych: Yes! exactly correct.

Quan Lavender: ...which can result in helplessly or over-correctness?

Antrozous Frostwych: Yes and also, a lack of knowing boundaries, because theirs were violated. It takes years of therapy to recover from even a short period of sexual abuse.

Quan Lavender: Thats why it is said that violence is carried from generation to generation.

Antrozous Frostwych: Yes, you are correct Quan

Quan Lavender: Is abuse worse than violence for the mental health?

Antrozous Frostwych: It is a form of violence...emotional violence in my opinion. Violence and violation have the same root, yes? Consider this; sexually abused children experience trauma in the same way that soldiers in war do; even if there is no physical force in their abuse. They often have PTSD (post traumatic stress) for years.

Quan Lavender: So no chance without therapy to get out?

Antrozous Frostwych: I suppose some individuals find thier way out without therapy...but not many I would guess. As a therapist though I have seen many women heal themselves through that process

Quan Lavender: I had a case as astrologer. A woman got suddenly problems in her long term marriage when she was around 40. In the reading I saw the violence in childhood and she told me about her abuse by the father. It was very helpful for her to see, that her doubts about her husband has been rooted in herself, her own fate. They managed to stay together.

Antrozous Frostwych: I am glad you were able to help her.

Quan Lavender: Yes me too, but you should know too that the right people are coming in the right time and we are able to help them.

Antrozous Frostwych

Antrozous Frostwych: Yes, it amazes me the way connections like that happen. Even here in SL, there have been many times when I meet someone and they start talking about their childhood....that is why I created Ruth!

Quan Lavender: Do you think that creating art is generally spoken a form of self therapy?

Antrozous Frostwych: I think it is sometimes. My friend Ellectra said to me when she saw my work....that we make art out of our pain.

Quan Lavender: As far as i know artists I must say indeed. At least the touching works.  The artists tell me often their stories, but I don't write about of course.

Antrozous Frostwych: This show you may, that is the purpose of it. The artist will be sharing through her poetry at the opening.

Christopher Zara has written a book about the pain behind the creativity of artists.But I think we should consider what Buddha said: "Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering." From that perspective it is just a question of how we deal with our suffering. Creativity is for sure a productive way. And in the case of Arubella Porthos SL is a protected environment to dare talking about the pain, which is a step forward in dealing with it.

I would not recommend the exhibition if the pictures would not have been of a high quality with breathtaking intensity. I am looking forward to hear her poetry.

Opening on Monday, July 2nd at 4.30 PM SLT.

Taxi: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Taygete/34/181/49