Katarina Alho
Finland
My name is Katarina Alho and I'm from Helsinki, Finland. For a big part of my life, I have struggled with various mental health challenges. Art has always been a kind of escape for me from a stressful situation and anxiety, but also a help to deal with difficult issues. I've tried a lot of different creative things in my life, and in recent years I've focused most on painting. I graduated from the Open Art School in the spring and I feel like I learned a lot about painting and art, life and myself there. I saw this competition on Taiteen Sulattamo's website and thought I should participate. It would be interesting to see and hear other people's works and stories as well.
The artists' stories
"The Vibrant Mind" is an art contest that celebrates artistic expression from individuals with mental health conditions. By focusing on the artists' work rather than their various diagnoses, it hopes to promote a stigma-free and inclusive environment.
That being said, the participants were given the option to share their background stories if they wished to do so.
