Exploring Mental Health Through Art
The Recovering Art exhibition, showcasing a blend of historical and contemporary artworks, is now open at The Dax Centre in Parkville, Melbourne. It runs from 15th May to 11th December 2026.
Curated by Andy Butler, this exhibition features historical pieces from the Cunningham Dax Collection, crafted in Victorian psychiatric hospitals from the 1950s. These are presented alongside new works by artists such as Ruth Buchanan, John Young Zerunge, and Abdul Abdullah.
Dr. Eric Cunningham Dax, a psychiatrist, established the Cunningham Dax Collection. He introduced art programmes into hospitals like Larundel and Royal Park. The collection uses art to challenge institutional approaches to mental health, reflecting on how creativity intersects with psychiatric practices.
Featured historical works include landscape paintings by Rene Sutton, created between 1958 and 1960 at Larundel, and pieces by Graeme Doyle, Carla Krijt, and NEG. These are paired with contemporary works exploring themes of mental health and identity.
Contemporary Artistic Contributions
Ruth Buchanan presents a new body of work in collaboration with her daughter, Eleanor Buchanan, and photographer John Miller. John Young Zerunge offers ‘Time’s Slow Passing’, based on the diary of Yarra Bend Asylum inmate John Au Siug. Abdul Abdullah contributes a painting from his ‘Magical Thinking’ series.
Jenna Lee examines Larrakia knowledge systems, while Luke Willis Thompson engages with themes of psychiatry and state intervention. The exhibition takes its name from Dr. Belinda Robson’s 2006 publication ‘Recovering Art’.
In addition to the artworks, the exhibition includes redacted archival materials that provide a deeper understanding of the historical context. Visitors can reflect on the ways institutions observe and interpret lived experiences through these creative expressions.
This exhibition challenges the traditional diagnostic frameworks imposed on art created in psychiatric contexts. It offers new perspectives on the complex relationship between creativity and mental health.
The Dax Centre, located at the Kenneth Myer Building, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052, invites visitors to explore the exhibition from Wednesday to Friday, between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm. Entry is free.
