IMA: Let the Healing Begin

Overview

Fortitude Valley’s Institute of Modern Art is currently home to an all-star exhibition featuring works that explore the concept of ‘therapy’. Prompted by the work of Melbourne artist Stuart Ringholt and his autobiographical book Hashish Psychosis: What It’s Like to be Mentally Ill and Recover, the IMA presents Let the Healing Begin. In this exhibition, the idea of therapy is tackled from all possible perspectives, with some pieces endorsing therapeutic imperatives and others providing a critical discussion of them.

Featuring artists as wide-ranging as Otto Muehl, Marina Abramovic and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry, the exhibition traverses a number of mediums including mixed-media, video and installation, as well as the more traditional kinds. Particularly enticing are Matt Mullican’s hypnosis-induced alter-ego’s art, Mike Kelley’s political poster about the major health issue resulting from celebrity-induced low self-esteem, and Abramovic’s video piece in which she and fellow performance artist Ulay take turns to slap one another across the face - therapeutically, of course.

The IMA never fails to produce original and thought-provoking exhibitions, and this one is a must-see. The show also features work by Julia Dashper, Robin Hungerford, Pierre Molinier, Rose Nolan, Tony Oursler, Grant Stevens, Peter Tyndall and Gillian Wearing.