I am very pleased to announce that a Taiwanese outsider art exhibition is coming soon to Level 4 Gallery at Hartley Library, University of Southampton, from 4 to 25 June!
This exhibition showcases 18 drawings created by anonymous artists living with mental health conditions in Taiwan. Expressive, whimsical and deeply emotional, these artworks belong to the genre of Outsider Art—creative expressions that emerge outside formal institutions—in their celebration of raw, unpretentious personal experiences.
This outsider art collection embodies aesthetic expressions for urban meditation, a meditative experience known in Taiwan as “self-detachment” (放空). Unlike traditional meditation confined to secluded or sacred spaces, the self-detachment meditation channels moments of stillness into the rhythms of everyday urban life—walking in city streets, riding public transport, cycling through neighbourhoods.
Through outsider art, this exhibition translates meditative experiences into journeys for spiritual wellbeing. Each artwork has captured spiritual states of inner awareness, emotional clarity and transcendental connection. In our increasingly disconnected urban environments, this collection offers glimpses into how everyday meditation can initiate spiritual journeys towards self-healing where trauma and pain are given new meaning and transformed.
From 4th to 25th June, this exhibition will be on display at the Level 4 Gallery in Hartley Library, the University of Southampton. We invite you to embark on your own journey into spiritual wellbeing. Ponder these drawings. Bring your (Bluetooth) headphones to listen to the artists’ descriptions of their work and self-detached experiences. Discover what urban meditation might mean for your own soul and spirit. Come and practise your own urban meditation and share your experiences on the DIY wall!
You can also find posts and updates about th exhibition on Instagram: @Journeys_Spiritualwellbeing
Share what you think of the exhibition and/or your meditative and spiritual journeys through hashtags #spiritualwellbeing #outsiderart #soton #meditation #city @Journeys_Spiritualwellbeing Hope to see many of you at the launch (4th June, 11:00) and in the exhibition! xoxox
