Symbols of Life

Yrellag Gallery, in collaboration with the Neighborhood advice-action Council (NAAC) Wong Tai Sin Wellness Support Centre, is proud to announce Symbols of life, an exhibition about their community project that provides disadvantaged groups with a space to express themselves and receive support through the use of expressive arts therapy (EXAT). This project is sponsored by The Community Chest.

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EXAT is a powerful medium that has been shown to empower participants and deepen their relationships with others. The project features the work of participants facilitated by two registered Expressive Arts Therapists REAT ®, Antonio Wong and Raymond Moo, who led various workshops for NAAC from 2019 to 2021, including a "Caregivers Group," a "Group for People with Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disabilities," and a "Group for Caregivers and People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID)", etc.

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During the workshops, Wong was deeply moved by the dedicated participation of the participants. In the "Caregivers' Group," participants were able to express their difficulties and problems in everyday life through their unreserved sharing. The expressive arts therapy workshops provided a space for them to receive support and encouragement from other caregivers.

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In the "Caregivers and Intellectual Disability (ID)" group, Wong was able to observe how participants were empowered by art therapy. With the goal of "creating a piece of art together," caregivers and ID members became deeply connected through the creative process, while caregivers also learned to appreciate the creativity of ID members.

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Raymond Moo, another Registered Expressive Arts Therapist REAT ® in this project, mentored NAAC's mentally disabled service users in various service units by using the expressive arts approach as a medium of language to help them grapple with the issues of life and death.

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Moo emphasized the importance of companionship, especially for parents or caregivers of people with intellectual disabilities. Artistic creation helped service users to express their thoughts and feelings and

offered them the opportunity to learn from each other. It provided them with an equal platform to showcase their talents and ideas.

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Launched by NAAC, this community project aims to build a harmonious society by providing disadvantaged groups with a safe and inclusive platform to express themselves and receive support through the powerful medium of expressive arts therapy (EXAT). The works created by the participants during the project will be displayed in an exhibition at the Yrellag Gallery. The exhibition will open on July 25 and run for one week until the end of July. We invite everyone to visit our gallery and witness the transformative impact of EXAT on the lives of the participants.

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Through this project, Yrellag Gallery hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of EXAT and encourage more social welfare organizations to utilize this powerful medium to help disadvantaged groups in the future. We believe that by providing a space for expression and support, we can nurture a more compassionate and empathetic society.

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Join us in celebrating the creativity and resilience of the participants in this community project. Visit Yrellag Gallery from July 25 to July 31 to experience firsthand the transformative power of expressive arts therapy.

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Yrellag 畫廊與鄰舍輔導會(NAAC)黃大仙康盛支援中心 合作，欣然呈獻「編寫人生標點符」展 覽。展示通過表達性藝術治療(EXAT)為弱勢群體和照顧者提供一個表達自己和互助的空間，計 劃由香港公益金資助。

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EXAT 是一種具影響力的媒介，能夠賦予參與者力量並加深人與人之間的關係。展覽展示了是次 社區項目參與者的作品，由兩位註冊表達性藝術治療師 REAT®，黃岳東(Antonio Wong)和巫志威 (Raymond Moo)，從 2019 年至 2021 年為 NAAC 主持的各種工作坊，包括給照顧者的、給輕度到 中度智力不足的會員、以及給照顧者和會員一起創作的表達藝術工作坊。

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在帶領工作坊期間，參加者的全情投入令 Antonio 有很深刻的感受。在「照顧者小組」中，參與 者能夠通過無保留的分享表達他們在日常生活中的困難和問題。表達藝術治療給他們提供了一 個空間，在創作過程中讓他們可以更容易表達自己和抒發情緒，也同時獲得了其他照顧者的支持 和鼓勵。

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在「照顧者和會員共同創作」小組中， 照顧者和會員的互動讓 Antonio 看到了表達藝術治療怎 樣賦予力量給參與者。在「我們一起完成去一件藝術作品」前提下，照顧者與會員透過藝術創作 過程中聯繫起來，也讓照顧者去學習怎樣欣賞會員的藝術創作。

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另一個參與該項目的註冊表達性藝術治療師 REAT®，巫志威(Moo)，在不同的服務單位，舉辦以表達藝術治療為介入手法的生命教育小組。

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Moo 強調同行關係的重要性，特別是對於服務對象及他們的家長/ 照顧者。這班服務對象的家長 / 照顧者將作品以最真實、最真誠的行動演繹出來，他們看到的不是自己子女「殘疾」、「缺憾」， 家長/ 照顧者的陪伴、照顧也不是一天兩天，而是一生一世。藝術創作幫助他們表達想法和情感， 並且提供了相互學習的機會。

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由 NAAC 發起的這個社區項目旨在通過表達性藝術治療(EXAT)為弱勢群體提供一個安全和包容 性的平台。參與者在項目期間創作的作品將在 Yrellag 畫廊展出。該展覽將於 7 月 25 日開幕，並 持續一周直至 7 月底。

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通過這個項目，Yrellag 畫廊希望提高人們對表達性藝術治療的認識，並鼓勵更多社會福利組織在 未來利用這種具感染力的媒介來幫助弱勢群體。我們相信，通過提供表達和支持的空間，我們可 以培養一個互助關懷的社會。

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​我們誠邀您的到來，見證這個社區項目參與者的創造力和表達性藝術治療的轉化力量。