Head [Beyond the Face]

The HEAD [Beyond the Face] paintings were made as a result of research into men’s mental health in preparation for a group exhibition of the same name. The show invites the viewer to contemplate the intricacies of the human experience, offering a nuanced perspective beyond portraiture. Delving into the essence of our humanity and the unseen dimensions that shape our individual stories, there is a particular emphasis on exploring the intricate facets of mental health.

Starting from the realisation that we all have voices going on in our heads (intrapersonal communication), my research has focused on the two main modes which are self-talk and internal dialogue. 

With respect to self-talk, psychologists originally described inner and private speech in the context of developmental processes including the affinity between speaking and thinking. 

Although internal dialogues had long been recognised by philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine, and by writers, poets, and other thinkers, formal psychological theorising about such phenomena was only recently introduced at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century

Self-talk can be beneficial, but it can sometimes be detrimental. Positive self-talk offers comfort and is used as a coping mechanism, however negative self-talk can greatly affect your self-esteem and self-worth. 

One way to distinguish between healthy self-talk and potential psychosis is how the voice or voices appear. Healthy internal self-talk is more of a conscious conversation. If you’re responding to voices in your head and you didn’t consciously start the conversation, if there’s more than one voice in the dialogue at once, or if there are sounds, smells, or vivid images that accompany these voices, then it’s a more complex mental landscape.