Brisbane artists are creating new works on digital billboards around the city.

The welfare group Anglicare is driving the project to raise awareness of mental health issues.

Batool Al Sallakh reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Artists are given eight hours to produce a work that appears live on digital billboards across Brisbane.

It’s about encouraging artists facing their own mental health issues to reach out to others.

Kyan has struggled with borderline personality disorder and addiction.

Kyan De Vere, Artist: “Has been basically my whole life. Most of the time I’ve always got a pen and paper on me. And it’s basically how I get through the day.”

He’s been involved with other similar art therapy programs and is enthusiastic about this initiative.

Bryce Schneider, Anglicare: “We’d really like to get the message out there that art really does help people and can make their day-to-day better.”

The program aims to bring much needed attention to this issue.

With one in fve Australians experiencing mental illness every year, experts are calling for more support for art based therapies.

Yaro Starak, Gestalt Art Therapy Co-Director: “But there’s never enough for the person who needs help and the organisations that need help.”

The art therapist explains how important therapy is and how it works for different people.

Yaro Starak, Gestalt Art Therapy Co-Director: “What we do is develop a way of exploring their feelings, their inability to say something, on a piece of paper.”

The works will be auctioned off every Tuesday for the next six weeks.

Batool Al Sallakh, QUT News.