Second Culture and Health Week champions the role of the arts as a tool for well-being and social cohesion

From 9 to 14 October, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona will be holding its 2nd Culture and Health Week, an initiative that highlights the contribution of the arts and culture to emotional well-being, prevention, and social cohesion. Over the course of several days, the campus will host activities open to the university community, inviting reflection on the relationship between culture and health from diverse perspectives through music, visual arts, theatre, and active participation.

The programme will begin on 9 October at the UAB Theatre Hall with a performance by the Canta Sant Pau choir, a pioneering initiative launched at Barcelona's Sant Pau Hospital and composed of people with aphasia—a language disorder usually caused by a stroke. The project uses singing as a therapeutic tool to stimulate language recovery and promote the participants' well-being.

On the same day, the opening of the exhibition "Art and Stroke: The Paintings of Javier Engel" will take place, which will be on display in the UAB Theatre Hall's exhibition space. The exhibition features the works of this artist, who, after suffering a stroke, found in painting a means of rehabilitation, emotional expression and personal transformation. His creations become a testament to resilience and to the power of art to support recovery.

One of the highlights of the week will be on 13 October with the performance of Boja, by Mariona Esplugues, at the UAB Theatre Hall. The monologue, included in the programme thanks to the collaboration of the Equality and Diversity Service and the Department of Social Psychology, addresses mental health disorders and the stigma still surrounding them with courage, humour, and sensitivity. The performance invites collective reflection and opens up spaces for dialogue about a reality that particularly affects young people.

The programme will be completed on 14 October with the workshop “Painting and Emotional Well-being”, led by Ezequiel Rosenfeldt, at the Àgora building. Through various proposals for individual and collaborative artistic creation, participants will explore aspects such as emotional regulation, accepting the unexpected, and connecting with their own vital energy.

With this second edition, the UAB reaffirms its commitment to a holistic concept of health and to promoting culture as a resource capable of generating well-being, fostering inclusion and contributing to the building of a healthier and more cohesive community.