Human fragility, art and emotions to raise awareness of mental health

The Medical Library will open its doors to reflection on mental health with an exhibition that can be visited from Friday 3 October until the end of the month. The pictorial exhibition presents a series of works by the painter Montserrat Valentí, which explore different emotional states and invite us to question the boundaries between everyday emotions and mental illness.

The opening will take place on 3 October at 1:30 p.m. and will be attended by the artist, Montserrat Valentí, who will present her creative process and the reflections that have inspired the works on display. Afterwards, Professor Lydia Giménez will give a talk entitled From Fragility to Resilience, which will delve into the role of emotions in understanding mental health. The event is open to the entire university community and the general public interested in the dialogue between mental health and artistic expression.

The paintings in the exhibition capture emotions such as anger, fear, mistrust, discouragement, sadness and addiction. Valentí translates these feelings into faces and bodies that reflect internal tensions, silent cries or the vulnerability of the human soul. The intensity of the works aims to raise questions in the viewer: what lies behind each expression? Are we looking at a person with a mental illness or someone who needs to be heard and understood?

To complement the exhibition, we have prepared a bibliographic selection on mental health. It is a diverse compilation that offers a broad view of the subject, with popular books, practical manuals and works focused both on the cure and care of patients and on the professional experience of nurses.

The Library wanted to join this initiative to highlight the importance of addressing mental health from a global perspective, including both academic training and social awareness. In this regard, the exhibition also coincides with World Mental Health Day, which will take place on 10 October, and through which the library wishes to demonstrate its commitment to combating stigma and promoting a more aware and inclusive society.

With this proposal, the UAB Library Service reaffirms its commitment to cultural dissemination and the creation of spaces that encourage critical reflection. The aim is for a visit to the exhibition to be an opportunity to review prejudices and understand the complexity of human emotions.

The exhibition will be open during the library's regular hours and admission is free. All interested parties are invited to attend the opening on 3 October and immerse themselves in this emotional journey through the eyes of Montserrat Valentí.