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Art and the Lived Experience of Pain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2023

Panayiota Vassilopoulou
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Abstract

Mental health has become a key concern within social discourse in recent years, and with it, the discussion about the lived experience of pain. In dealing with this experience there has been a shift away from merely relying on medical care towards more holistic approaches involving community support, public awareness, and social change. However, little if any attention has been paid in this context to the contribution of aesthetic experience engendered by art that expresses and publicly shares with others the lived experience of pain. With reference to Phantom Limb, an art exhibition curated by Euan Grey and held at the Victoria Galleries and Museum Liverpool in 2016, I argue that aesthetic experience plays a crucial role in making sense of pain and suffering, thus breaking new ground in the appreciation of the significance of art for public mental health and holistic approaches towards patients.

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Paper
Information
Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements , Volume 94: Lived Experience and Co-Production in Philosophy and Mental Health , October 2023 , pp. 15 - 38
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Royal Institute of Philosophy

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