If I could express it with words, there would be no reason to paint it. This phrase by Edward Hopper helps me to properly introduce an anecdote from these days. During the opening of the BATIKANDO exhibition, I happened to say that doing Batik brings me into a meditative state a bit like doing Yoga, even though I have never practiced Yoga. Thinking about it with a clear mind, this reflection matured some time ago from sharing experiences with a dear friend who has practiced Yoga for years. Driven by curiosity about this statement of mine, I typed on the web ART AND HEALTH and I discovered that art actually brings significant benefits to both body and mind, a bit like Yoga. I had always known it for myself, but my feeling was valid for me and what one feels is not always extendable or generalizable. And, besides, I am an artist so my experience has usually been perceived by others as singular or, more precisely, strange. Today, from browsing the web, I discover that in 2019 the World Health Organization published a report on the benefits of art. The report is the result of a large-scale study showing that art, in its various forms, is a cure-all whether it is practiced or enjoyed. Here you can read the Italian version It seems that times are changing for artists too. Maybe today they are not as crazy as people used to think in the past. For sure, looking back on my life, with Batik it was love since I was 13 and it has given me a lot. I still have purple hair and, in the words of Vasco Rossi, I'm still here.
To give an idea of what I mean, I recall one of the times I was hospitalized and my feelings were questioned by a doctor because I had purple hair. I remember his words precisely: "... with that hair..."
Eliana Spinelli