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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
"Bridge To The Soul" By Chantal Bethel
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Nassau, Bahamas - An
exhibition of works by artist, Chantal Bethel called, “A Tear & A
Smile” will open on Thursday, October 16th at 6pm at Hillside House Art
Gallery, Cumberland Street in Nassau.
Focusing on Art
as a means for healing,
transformation, and wholeness-
I am consciously honoring
my creativity – letting this energy
settle into my bones
and allowing my soul
the freedom to cry,
praise, love
and dance...
– Chantal Bethel
Just as one would never notice the light if we did not know what it was to have been in the dark, in her latest body of work, A Tear And A Smile, Chantal Bethel uses the weight of her compelling talents as a visual artist to point out to us that in many respects, we can only fully appreciate joy when we enter it through the doorway of our most painful experiences.
“The show is about healing,” says Bethel. “It’s about that space where you have the pain and the tears and then there is a transformation where you’re going from negative to positive.”
A Tear And A Smile, juxtaposes those two places on the map of our emotional well-being that at first glance appear to be polar opposites, but are in fact two ends of a line that curve — and ultimately unite — to form the circles of our most pivotal experiences.
“Along my journey I have found healing through creative expression, but I didn’t quite understand how it worked. While in Vancouver a couple of years ago, I met Kathleen Horne MA, LMHC, REACE, who teaches “Art as a Healing Practice” – a combination of guided meditation, visual art, writing and sharing – at Expressive Arts Florida Institute. I decided that “Art as a Healing Practice” was what I needed to learn. This process gave me the seed that started this show.”
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In this latest display of Bethel’s artistic expression, tears are a conduit through which we arrive at healing, and are far from being a sign of a weak or broken spirit. In fact, they are essential to the process of healing, and for Bethel, it is important to note that she indeed looks at healing as a process.
Quite telling throughout this body of work is the absence of any depiction of hopelessness in the midst of pain. Undoubtedly, this can be attributed to Bethel’s personal philosophy toward navigating life’s painful experiences. “For me, I always try to see the positive. The tears are beautiful in a way because they take you somewhere that is better.”
Ultimately, that is the axis upon which A Tear And A Smile turns. In Bethel’s world, tears are not a sign of liquid weakness, but they are an essential step in the process that moves us from pain to power.
The exhibit runs until October 31st.
Artist Chantal Bethel
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