Mind Cymru art exhibition 2004

Magic, voices and visions

The work displayed in this exhibition has been submitted to Mind Cymru for inclusion on our stand at the National Eisteddfod – the largest and oldest celebration of Welsh culture which is hosted in a different part of Wales each year.

Magic, hearing voices and having visions have long been a traditional part of mythological Welsh culture and a significant part of Druid’s and Celtic religions and practices. They are also often interpreted as key symptoms of emotional distress.

The artists who created these pieces may have had direct experience of magic, hearing voices or seeing visions in a different context to the recognised cultural setting.

These works of art celebrate such magic, the gift of insight into personal experience and the ability to express complex emotions through art.

These works demonstrate that it is important that we keep in touch with the wonder, mysticism and expression of such arts without ascribing labels linked with fear, judgement and misapprehension.

Art creates an opportunity to enhance clarification, understanding and the emotional impact of everyday things on a fundamental level.

Magic, hearing voices and visions are accepted in dream states, but in Wales they have also often been used to further culture and create an inherent connection with the land and our planet.