SALISBURY Arts Centre is hosting a new exhibition – Worth Fighting For?

It showcases the work of three artists from the south west who have had to overcome barriers to access the art world and have their work publicly exhibited.

This is the third collaboration Salisbury Arts Centre has run with Outside In, who provide a platform for artists who see themselves as facing barriers to the art world due to health, disability, social circumstance or isolation.

Darryn Michael, of Salisbury, and Joanne Pudney, of Tidworth, were selected from an open call-out, and their art will be displayed alongside Outside In artist and ambassador Brian Gibson.

Darryn Michael started creating in his mid-teens before he began to focus on writing, keeping his painting as a personal hobby and a private way of expressing himself. It was only a few years ago that he first showed his paintings to others through his blog.

Speaking about his work, he said: “This series of paintings deals with mental health and how we need to do more as human beings in our society to acknowledge what are often seen as hidden illnesses. Raising awareness and increasing our understanding of mental health issues so that people get the support they need is something I feel is very much worth fighting for.”

Joanne Pudney has battled with severe depression for the past few years. She is now working on pieces to explore the processing, the continuity, the blurring, the loss of memory recall and the representation of memory that can result from electroconvulsive therapy.

Joanne said: “Art has always been very close to me.

“It offers a safe means of uncompromising self-expression and a bridge to communicate when direct methods are too difficult. My paintings in this exhibition show areas of thoughts and treatment during my time of recovery and moving forward.”

Brian Gibson took part in Outside In’s Step Up training programme, and has since helped run a number of workshops and exhibited three of his works at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton. Brian’s first experience of creativity came with his love of photography and music whilst he was growing up in Newcastle. He is fascinated with the idea of what it is to be an artist, having faced both external and internal barriers with his own creativity.

He says of the theme of the exhibition: “Is making one’s own art worth fighting for? I would say so. We now live in an era where we are endlessly bombarded with images and information from external sources. As individuals, we are in danger of losing our own unique identities under such a sea of data, and I for one do not want to drown.”

Worth Fighting For launches on Friday and runs until December 19. For more information go to salisburyartscentre.co.uk or call 01722 321744.