Art Connects Us All

Ms. Lit Ting Hei

 

“The value of art is that it is something that brings people together and gives people a voice,” says Jimmy Castillo, Director of Civic Art and Design for Houston Arts Alliance.

 

Art comes in many forms- paintings, film, photography, music, drama, etc. But most important of all, art connects us all. In creating art, consciously or not, artists are attempting to communicate. Art is an international language that we are all born with. Everyone can make art and understand art without translation, no matter how old you are, where you are from.

 

If a painter from Korea paints a picture of a starving family on the streets in the snow with very little clothes on, you may not speak Korean, nor have ever seen snow before, but you can still feel their suffering through the painting. Also, different colours invoke different feelings, such as red and yellow make you feel warm and energetic, blue and grey make you feel cool and calm. This doesn’t need to be taught. Art is in you.

 

Many may think that art is simply decorative, nonessential. But during this pandemic, many have realised how important art is in our life. It helps us to express ourselves, to combat loneliness and depression; it nurtures the spirit and calms the mind. We need art.

 

Traditional access to arts has been limited because of the lockdown, we cannot visit museums and theatres in person. But in fact, you have greater access to different types of art than ever before! Many artists, arts organisations and venues have gone to great lengths to offer online options to their audience. National Live Theatre was free to watch on YouTube; many great artists started to give online lessons, I have joined a few and learnt a lot; virtual tours for museums from all over the world. Here is a link worth visiting:

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en

 

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. So next time when you feel down, lonely or nervous, try to make some art. Use art to express your feelings, to connect with others, or simply escape from reality.