A resilient Wodonga artist has used art therapy to channel dark personal challenges of trauma and mental ill-health into a colourful debut exhibition about her autism.
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Monique Barrett's 'Faces' exhibition, which she started working on four years ago while hospitalised due to a suicide attempt, consists of 33 bright and textured paintings.
"That was my purpose for living for a while," she said.
"The next year I had an episode of psychosis and that lead to a diagnosis of schizoaffected disorder and that made me want to do art even more."
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Ms Barrett said the painting was art therapy for her.
"Creating art is so therapeutic for me," she said.
"It helped me face the problems at hand and also help me get through the day."
The 21-year-old said she had focused on painting faces, because she found reading facial expression difficult due to her autism.
"I had some trouble understanding faces especially when I was younger, so I've been fascinated with faces and understanding them," she said.
"It makes me, and hopefully other people, think about what makes up a face.
"Some of them you kind of have to use your imagination, for instance, the first painting I did, the oil painting, was a mix of small abstract faces throughout the whole painting, so at first glance you don't think it's a face, but if you keep looking at it, it is."
Ms Barrett said art therapy was hugely important for her.
"And I believe it would help a lot of people," she said.
"So if anybody's struggling right now, and especially if you're a creative person, maybe write something down or draw a scribble, it doesn't have to be any good, it's not about the outcome of the drawing it's about the process.
"So if anybody can get that from this I'd be so happy."
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The exhibition was on display at GIGS Art Gallery, but due to lockdowns Ms Barrett decided to turn her exhibition virtual.
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