Contemporary Art
Curators in the art world have given into a new trend – contemporary art exhibitions with a focus on eating disorders. Ranging through different medium, including but not limited to photography, sketches, and paintings, artists have began to acknowledge the existence of eating disorders and the need to expose its detrimental effects to the public. Contemporary art galleries are being both applauded and criticized by the public for the controversial topic, but its need is being acknowledged by all parties. Because of the complexity of the problem, contemporary art simplifies it for therapy professionals who analyze the product.
Contemporary art focused on eating disorders is a creative medium used by patients to express hidden feelings that even they might not be aware of. And because of the subjective nature of art itself, they are able to mask these feelings with colors, shapes, and variations in compositions. The AATA, American Art Therapy Association, recently began recognizing art as a method of therapy for patients of eating disorders. Therefore, contemporary art seems the best category to place this new medium in, for it is contemporary art that is most flexible and adaptive to the artist.
Eating disorders and their affects on their victims often lay deep and are hard to uncover. Therefore, contemporary art provides a medium for the patients’ eating disorders to come to the surface. Because of its adaptive and unorthodox nature, contemporary art does not limit the artist with a set of rules or expectations. In fact, nowadays, even a simple urinal is considered contemporary art. This inhibition and freedom proves to be just what is required by those who suffer from eating disorders, who are used to being confined to their illness.
Contemporary art has been lauded for years for the freedom it provides to its creators. Therefore, this method is often the right choice for those who suffer from eating disorders. In fact, it is the forgiveness in error and comfort in diversity that allows for the free flow of emotions upon the artistic creation. Eating disorders have the ability to take over the personality of its victims, and because of the said flexibility of contemporary art, the artists (victims) are able to create multiple artistic identities. The victims are able to not only express what they feel, but also create a kind of alter ego, an artistic identity which allows them to escape the tribulations of every day life.
All in all, its a combination of the freedom of contemporary art and the liberation that eating disorder victims seek that fuse to create a method of therapy that is effective and informative to the public. By interpreting the contemporary art created by victims, the public is able to, for a short time, delve into the dark world of eating disorders and be somewhat exposed to a fraction of what it is like. Or, on the other hand, they can appreciate the art for the healing qualities it has for its creators.