Unveiled Sorrows

UNVEILED CORPUS LEWIS MOA SORIANO YENOGACIO APRIL 27, 2024

Sorrows DO YOU KNOW GRIEF?

UNVEILED SORROWS

“Although

it is a universal experience, grief can exist as a variety of manifestations as each individual's experience is unique to their own.

“

Emotions are an integral part of human existence. We associate them with personally meaningful circumstances (Fredrickson, 2001) that characterize the meaning of our lives and affect our perceptions and interactions with the world around us. Among these feelings, grief is a powerful illustration of the depth of human emotion; however, it is often concealed by a fear of being vulnerable and receiving judgment from society. Whether it's the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship – or any major incident that alters our lives entirely – grief is an expected response to loss. Although it is a universal experience, grief can exist as a variety of manifestations as each individual's experience is uniquetotheirown.

Traditionally, grief has been portrayed and enacted by society as a sad response to one’s reality. It is often expressed through tears and apparent demonstrations of sorrow, which reinforces a superficial understanding of grief. However, beyond this understatement, grief is truly equivocal and complex by nature. In each person’s reality, grief is experienced in different ways and processes that truly make grief hardtocomprehendasamonosemousemotion.

In this Curated Exhibition named Unveiled Sorrows, grief is unveiled as an intricate multifaceted emotion, moving away from stereotypes that often limit its significance. Through a diverse array of artists and their works, the many manifestations of grief are explored—from the profound pain of the loss to the human capacity for resilience. The concept of the exhibit is to stray away from those mentioned conventional perceptions and points of view regarding grief and the corresponding experiences that a person may experience with those emotions. It aims to explore a different dynamic highlighting the unknown and uncertain aspect of grief wherein it cannot be containedsimplywithinafixedprocessorbinary.

These paintings were carefully selected and curated to showcase how vast and different grief can be from one person to another. While the artworks portray numerous emotions associated with grief, such as anger, depression, or denial, the layout and curation portray it in a manner that speaks of how these different emotions are not a linear progression, but instead an unpredictable range of emotions that could alteratanypointintimeforthatperson.

Moreover, the artworks showcase a strong contrast between the different facets of grief. One way this was demonstrated was through a contrast in the artwork's colorpalette.Itwasevidentthatanarrayofcolorsand hues were chosen to represent grief. This shows how grief can be seen and related to a variety of colors that are not limited to merely red, black, and blue. Whether itisbrightordark,colorfulorcolorless,happyorsad,

the artworks that were chosen to represent grief augment the reality that grief is truly a complex emotion. Additionally, this can also be seen through the artwork's depiction of the day-to-day experience. Grief can creep into our lives in unpredictable ways and entangle itself through our regular routines. Whether it be in the solitude of mornings and rituals, the company of loved ones during mealtimes, or the quiet of sleep, grief unfolds in many ways that we cannotanticipate.

In today’s world, the rise of mental health issues has been prevalent, making the proper handling of emotions like grief essential. However, this raises concern as a social issue because emotions like grief have been boxed into a certain emotion that society has learned and associated with it in the past. Consequently, grief has been limited to certain stages – namely the five stages of grief including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – as an acceptable response to its stimulus, dictating an ideal and proper timeline for recovery from grieving. This restrictive view on grief can lead to detrimental mental health issues as people are pressured by society to have an unhealthy approach to dealing with grief. Instead of allowing themselves to process their emotions, individuals may feel compelled to follow these stages of grief, which results in them hiding other natural emotional responses to loss or any of themanifestationswheretheyfeeltheneedtogrieve.

With that, Unveiled Sorrows helps open the eyes, hearts, and minds of the viewers to perceive grief from a better perspective beyond its preconceived notions and stereotypes. It puts a spotlight on the importance of mental health and emotions as it aims to raise awareness of how grief is a diverse and complex emotion that needs a nuanced understanding. This understanding that grief is not a linear process of stages and isn’t a limited response to death and loss is an essential key to developing a more holistic and healthy perspective and approach to grief. By acknowledging the complexity of grief, society can better understand and accommodate individuals who experience grief, including themselves, which opens up opportunities for a more healthy and inclusive approach to grief. In addition, this shift in perspective can help foster a healthier and more supportive environment for people with mental health issues and concerns where people feel safe to express all aspects of their grief, which ultimately leads to more holistic healingandrecoveryforpeople.

References Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. NCBI. Retrieved April 27, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122271/