A groundbreaking new exhibition opening in London will explore the complex relationship between mental health and social bonds during what organisers describe as increasingly polarised times.
Artworks Revealing Mental Health Journeys
The Kindred exhibition at Bethlem Museum of the Mind will feature powerful works by artists who have drawn on their personal experiences of mental health challenges. Located within the world's oldest psychiatric hospital in south-east London, the free exhibition runs from 16 January to 27 June 2026.
Among the notable pieces is Charlotte Johnson Wahl's Morning Group, painted in 1974 during her treatment at the Maudsley hospital. The work vividly captures her negative experience of group therapy, with the artist depicting herself as a red-haired woman with a look of horror.
Contemporary artist Mud presents three pieces documenting their journey from distrust to healing through therapy, while Gareth McConnell's photographs of empty community rooms await transformation through therapeutic gatherings.
The Power and Challenge of Community
Bethlem's exhibitions officer, Rebecca Raybone, explained that the show developed from the museum sector's challenge to address social cohesion and justice. "Society can make you feel very alone sometimes, or can have the opposite effect of making you feel really part of something," she noted.
The exhibition deliberately explores both positive and negative aspects of community involvement in mental health treatment. Raybone emphasised that mental health is a journey rather than a binary process, highlighting the importance of individuals finding what works for them personally.
Gareth McConnell shared his personal connection to the theme, recalling his first Narcotics Anonymous meeting in 1999 at Wickham Park House, Bethlem Maudsley's former detox unit. He described how even a room with broken plastic chairs and linoleum flooring could be "temporarily pervaded by the power of love" through therapeutic meetings.
Diverse Perspectives on Recovery
Artist Mud, who has lived experience of borderline personality disorder and psychosis, stressed the healing benefits of community support. "I don't think I'd be on my recovery journey today if it weren't for other people helping me along the way," they stated.
The exhibition includes several other significant works, including Benji Reid's Holding on to Daddy (2016), which won the Wellcome Trust photography prize in 2020, and vibrant ceramics by Chilean artist and former prisoner of conscience Bibi Herrera, who received treatment at Bethlem.
Colin Gale, director of Bethlem Museum of the Mind, observed that "in a climate of political, cultural, and economic atomisation, social cohesion seems elusive." He noted that the presence or absence of community is felt particularly keenly when facing mental health challenges, with artists in the collection demanding: "Listen to me, talk to me, understand me. Don't just medicate me."
