The Bethlem Museum of the Mind exhibition presents diverse artworks exploring the intricate relationship between dreams and reality for psychiatric patients. The collection includes pieces by notable artists such as William Kurelek and Charlotte Johnson Wahl, with a focal installation by Kate McDonnell that portrays insomnia's challenges. Historical works include Jonathan Martin's depiction of London's destruction and a squirrel illustration by James Hadfield, an attempted assassin. These artworks serve as both an escape for patients and a means to articulate their experiences to doctors, capturing the complexity of the artists' minds.
The exhibition features two dozen works by the likes of William Kurelek, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, Jonathan Martin and Bryan Charnley, and is dominated by contemporary artist Kate McDonnell's vast installation Night Tides, which evokes the restlessness and frustration of insomnia.
For a long time, art has been both a way for patients to seek escape from their torments and a tool to explain to doctors what is going on.
The destruction of London was created by artist and arsonist Jonathan Martin, who was confined at Bethlem Hospital from 1829 until his death in 1838.
The works on display range from small sketches to huge canvases, some of which are exceptionally detailed and others in their simplicity give hints as to what's going on in the mind of the artists.
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