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Thank you for being patient.
We are doing some work on the site and will be back shortly.
If you have any questions please email me using the contact form below.

Bedankt voor uw geduld.
We zijn hard aan het werk aan deze site en hopen snel terug online te zijn.
Als u vragen heeft, neem dan contact op via het formulier hier onder.

davyyong

'Headspace' (2021) Acrylic paint on canvas – 50

'Headspace' (2021)

Acrylic paint on canvas – 50,8 x 50,8 cm

It’s been awhile since I posted here but know that wherever you are and whatever you're going through my heart goes out to you 🧡

While letting my art do the talking, this self-portrait has been my most recent contemplative response to containing, expressing and examining difficult experiences. I named it ‘Headspace’ after the helpful meditation-app that I’ve been using for a while but I highly recommend watching the newly added ‘Headspace’ series on Netflix.

I think we can all use a friendly reminder that there are things beyond control and things you can control such as the mind. It’s okay to take a moment throughout the day to be mindful, stopping the overwhelming stream of information and allow yourself some headspace to feel the way you do.

Another easy tool for practicing mindfulness and compassion can be Tara Brach’s R.A.I.N. method:

- Recognize what is happening;
- Allow the experience to be there, just as it is;
- Investigate with interest and care;
- Nurture with self-compassion.

Stay kind and beautiful 🙏

#art #arttherapy #self #portrait #headspace #selfcompassion #mentalhealth #pink #suit #surrealism #beautifulbizarre #mindfulness #rain #meditation #arttherapistart

I am holding an exclusive HALLOWEEN SALE💀🎃🦇 offering just 25 prints of the artwork I made for the Lockdown Residency Exhibition @lockdown.residency

Every poster is in full colour and printed on high quality 150gr/m² semi-glossy A2 paper (420 x 594mm). It is specially coated to distribute light evenly, displaying the image in great detail. All prints have been numbered and signed by myself / the artist.

You will be sent a postal tube containing the following:
- A signed poster with a random print-number from 1 to 25
- Document with artwork information and an artist statement
- Document about the Lockdown Residency Exhibition

Prices are around €20,00 / £18.00 incl. VAT and excl. shipping costs. If you're interested, visit my Etsy shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/davyyong (working link in bio)

'The Bones Of A Dying World' (2020) Acrylic pain

'The Bones Of A Dying World' (2020)

Acrylic paint with soft pastel on canvas - 750 x 1150 mm

As an emerging art psychotherapist, unconscious processes as well as the uncanny and the sublime acted as sources of inspiration for this painting that I made during lockdown. I re-imagined the experience of lockdown as something straight out of a Gothic Romance novel, contributing to an atmosphere of death and the supernatural. The lockdown, to me, tells a story of survival and the wish to overcome one’s mortality.

View my painting in the Virtual Gallery Exhibition of the LOCKDOWN Residency @lockdown.residency on Kunstmatrix:

https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/2827961/lockdown-residency

Now LIVE! [ 22 October – 30 November 2020 ]

#art #exhibition #arttherapy #death #beautifulbizarre #GothicRomane #MementoMori #metaphors #skull #symbolic #survival #gothic #shadow #lockdown #residency #virtualgallery #onlineart #pandemic #isolation #reimagined #ghost #graveyard #night #artist

Proud to announce the Private View event for the L

Proud to announce the Private View event for the LOCKDOWN Residency – a Virtual Gallery Exhibition

As co-curator and participating artist for the LOCKDOWN Residency, it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside all the amazing people taking part in this project, which was first proposed in March by my friend @meri.t.lahti

Join us tonight at 7pm (London time) for a curator’s tour by @lisa_pettibone

Book a place for tonight’s private view and tour here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lockdown-residency-exhibition-private-view-tickets-125815279889
[limited spaces available]

The exhibition runs from: 22 October – 30 November 2020 and can be visited here:
https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/2827961/lockdown-residency

#lockdown #residency #art #privateview #pandemic #artist #curator #virtualgallery #kunstmatrix #covid19 #exhibition

Contributing to the book 'Wicked Arts Assignments'

Contributing to the book 'Wicked Arts Assignments', I've been extremely fortunate to have one of my early assignments featured and selected out of 500+ submissions.

The book provides a theoretical view on arts assignments from historical, artistic and educational perspectives, as well as 100 assignments from various creative disciplines from all over the world.

Order your copy here:
https://www.valiz.nl/en/publications/wicked-arts-assignments.html

I am beyond grateful to have been featured in my f

I am beyond grateful to have been featured in my friend @tsamarafahrana 's Podcast: 'Meditate with Tsamara'🙏
In episode #22 - Art Therapy for Your Mental Health, I got to connect and share some of the experiences that have shaped my outlook on life and started my journey with mindfulness and art therapy. Hope it will inspire you...

Follow the link below to have a listen and follow Tsamara's podcast on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rEmSml1JgW7006WLDDTvv?si=BszcL8hsT1-JWOslsTzwRA

'Buddha Sitting With It' (2020) - Ceramics⁣ ⁣

'Buddha Sitting With It' (2020) - Ceramics⁣
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There’s nothing more difficult than sitting with our emotions, especially in these testing times and I am talking from experience. ‘Sitting with it’ simply means allowing all the uncertainties, the difficult thoughts and feelings to come and go as they arise. We allow ourselves to just be present, resisting the urge to judge or do anything about the process. ⁣
At the start of the year, I sculpted this emaciated Buddha, a powerful symbol and reminder of that process. In finding ‘the middle path’ and knowing not to go to the extremes, the Buddha’s journey inspires to cultivate ‘karuna’ (compassionate action).⁣
Thinking of Jungian psychology and working with the Self, sitting with difficulties is essential in learning to own the shadow aspects of the self. Incorporating the Shadow into the greater whole, we become aware/conscious of parts of the psyche that are affecting us. We understand that fighting the pain would only trigger more emotional pain. Instead of avoiding, we now acknowledge. Instead of pushing away, we now embrace. Instead of judging, we now accept. ⁣
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#art #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #buddha #ceramics #emotions #sittingwithit #thoughts #feelings #presentmoment #sculpture #emaciated #fasting #middlepath #karuna #compassion #jung #psychology #self #shadow #conscious #psyche #acknowledge #embrace #accept #buddhism #meditating #mindfulness

'Lamento' (2011)⁣ ⁣ Looking back on some of th

'Lamento' (2011)⁣
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Looking back on some of the work I made in the past, I realise how a lot of it was therapeutic and communicated something I wasn't conscious of at the time. Like this massive concrete sculpture that reflected a dystopian vision. In a sense, it revealed a cry of sorrow and grief, hence the name 'Lamento', Italian for a moan, cry, or lament. Drawing inspiration from Dante Alighieri's literary masterpiece 'the divine comedy', this work can be read as the descent into hell. A process of suffering was personified by incorporating casts of my face with different tormented expressions as well as having the statue reflect my height. Now almost ten years later, I'm glad art offered an opening in taking a deeper look at the nature of suffering...⁣
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“The Buddha called suffering a holy truth because our suffering has the capacity of showing us the path to liberation. Embrace your suffering and let it reveal to you the way to peace.” – Thich Nhat Hanh⁣
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#art #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #therapeutic #conscious #concrete #sculpture #dystopian #dystopia #sorrow #grief #lamento #moan #cry #lament #Dante #DantesInferno #DivineComedy #hell #suffering #cast #face #torment #liberation #embrace #peace #3D

'Animal-skulls in different styles' (2011)⁣ ⁣

'Animal-skulls in different styles' (2011)⁣
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Coming across these skull studies, where I experimented with different painting styles, reminded me of my formative years as an 'artist' and I can say that I have come a long way. For me, back then, finding an 'artist identity' was something hard to accomplish as I didn't believe that the use of certain materials or techniques defined you as an 'artist' and I still don't. Expectations from others and towards oneself can be of major influence. Thinking of how I was trained, I always had a tendency towards a more symbolic-narrative and was able to further explore this when delving into the world of art therapy.⁣
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#art #artist #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #painting #excersise #skull #skulls #animalskull #animal #painting #artistidentity #identity #materials #techniques #discovery #personality #findingyourself #symbolic #drawing #vangogh #luctuymans #edvardmunch #georgesbraque #basquiat #ownstyle #ownidentity

'Theory' (2014) - Lecture-performance⁣ ⁣ With

'Theory' (2014) - Lecture-performance⁣
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With a lecture-performance, the act of teaching / giving a lecture is seen as an artistic piece of work. While completing my minor in 'Critical Studies', I saw this medium as a way to share my findings in an interactive way. I had spent half a year researching Critical Theory, a Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy originally associated with the work of the Frankfurt School. ⁣
Through the use of educational symbols, I explained a mathematical theory and linked it to my own social theory. The performance was meant to engage with the audience by emphasizing time and truth. It confused as well as raised questions concerning our biases towards education and our abilities to balance intellect and emotion. ⁣
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#art #artist #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #theory #lecture #performance #lectureperformance #teaching #minor #criticalstudies #criticaltheory #criticalthinking #Marx #philosophy #frankfurt #frankfurtschool #education #symbols #mathematical #mathematics #social #socialtheory #time #truth #bias #balance #intellect #emotion

'We are wired for connection' (2020)⁣ ⁣ In res

'We are wired for connection' (2020)⁣
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In response to my experiences as art therapy trainee in a school-setting, I often made art as a counter-transference response to client work. The work took place on a weekly one-to-one basis with all-male “hard-to-reach” adolescents, either diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) or showing autistic traits. Since we are all wired for connection, I made this piece which helped me to gain insight into my feelings and thoughts, to mind my mind as well as how to reach the hard-to-reach and contain the uncontainable.⁣
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#art #artist #arttherapy #artpsychotherapy #mentalhealth #autism #ASD #autismspectrumdisorder #wired #connection #trainee #school #schooltherapy #transference #countertransference #response #adolescents #feelings #thoughts #mind #mindingmymind #hardtoreach #contain #uncontainable #drawing #linedrawing #colour #autismawareness #diagnose #wiredforconnection

´Untitled´ (2011)⁣ ⁣ This resin cast of my f

´Untitled´ (2011)⁣
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This resin cast of my face was given to my dad as a Father's Day gift. Luckily, he was able to appreciate my dark sense of humour as the transparent layers reveal a bunch of condoms and white paint inside. ⁣
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#art #artist #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #resin #epoxy #face #mask #dad #father #darkhumour #transparent #condoms #durex #whitepaint #acrylics #gift #untitled #funny #joke #condomhead #artwork #artoftheday #artistic #arts #artlife #artlover

'Shit Happens' (2012) - Guerrilla Art⁣ ⁣ Using

'Shit Happens' (2012) - Guerrilla Art⁣
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Using the city Rotterdam as my stage, this visual intervention in the public space offered critical commentary on what residents perceived as problematic, such as the plague of birds. Exaggerating this inconvenience, I mimicked bird shit by using acrylic paint and placed it strategically around bird-infested areas. ⁣🕊️
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#art #artist #shit #shithappens #guerrilla #guerrillaart #rotterdam #stage #intervention #publicspace #critical #commentary #problematic #plague #birds #pigeons #inconvenience #birdshit #acrylic #paint #blaak #wdka #dbkv #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #streetart #hitchcock #ornithophobia #city

Various uncanny Urbex photos (urban exploring) –

Various uncanny Urbex photos (urban exploring) – 2015⁣
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As most of you know, Gothic was never just a phase for me and I’ve been a fan of the genre my whole life. Gothic Romance has captivated my imagination from a young age and I have a modest collection of novels and an even bigger collection of cult horror movies.⁣
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The genre combines elements from horror and romanticism and tales usually involve dark, gloomy, mysterious places such as haunted houses or castles. Some that have been abandoned for centuries.⁣During 2015, I explored some of these places in real life and tried to capture ‘the uncanny’ through the lens of my camera.⁣
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The Uncanny, a term used by Sigmund Freud (1919), describes a psychological experience of reoccurring strangely familiar thoughts and feelings (repressed by the ego). Freud and Jung believed that horror stories had great psychoanalytic value because they touch primordial archetypes residing in the collective unconscious.⁣
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#art #artist #photography #photo #urbex #urbanexploring #uncanny #freud #old #architecture #abandoned #decay #explore #blackandwhite #gothic #gothicromance #horror #imagination #dark #gloomy #mysterious #castle #camera #psychoanalysis #primordial #archetypes #unconscious #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy

'The Fifth Element' (2012)⁣ ⁣ Playfulness and

'The Fifth Element' (2012)⁣
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Playfulness and creativity go hand in hand in art-making. While experimenting with forced perspective, I tried to capture a sublime feeling with these photos. Creating an optical illusion of natural disasters from some miniature models I made. The elemental forces of nature, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, were brought together to form a 'fifth' element: the supernatural.⁣
The sublime is a reoccurring theme in my art. The word 'sublime' suggests nobility and majesty, the ultimate height, a soaring grandeur, as in a skyscraper or a mountain, or as in a dizzying feeling, a heroic deed, a spiritual attainment, a poetic expression—something that takes us beyond ourselves, something boundless, the transporting blow. Effects of the sublime can be crushing or engulfing. It instils a feeling of awe in us, which can be terrifying. ⁣
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#art #artist #creativity #playful #perspective #forcedperspective #photography #photo #sublime #nature #naturaldisaster #miniature #model #elements #fire #water #earth #air #supernatural #nobility #majesty #grandeur #boundless #crushing #engulfing #terrifying #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #3d

'Untitled' (2016) I decided to share a more perso

'Untitled' (2016)

I decided to share a more personal piece today. Most psychotherapists are required to be in therapy themselves in order to be better equipped at their work. I consider the moment I first brought my own art (this pen drawing) into therapy as a real eye-opening moment. Even though it wasn't art therapy, the process of free-associating with someone I could trust helped uncover repressed feelings. Much like the bare roots of the mangrove with perhaps the water representing the unconscious?
Free-association is a Freudian technique that invites the client to let their mind roam without censorship or structure. Allowing for the creation of possible connections and a conscious narrative about random thoughts. Knowing that there isn't a right or wrong to what is shared helped me overcome a creative block and find trust in the process of making.

#art #artist #arttherapy #arttherapist #therapy #mentalhealth #personal #psychotherapy #pendrawing #drawing #blackandwhite #eyeopening #freeassociating #painful #feelings #emotions #roots #mangrove #water #unconscious #freud #creation #connection #concious #creativeblock #process #untitled

'Shadow Mask' (2019) This mask I made last year w

'Shadow Mask' (2019)

This mask I made last year was in response to client work and reminded me of how we like to present ourselves to the world. As common during adolescence, wearing a social mask (persona) was something I explored too when growing up and forming a personality of my own. It thought me how I wanted to be around people, which roles would fit me, and their responses helped me in understanding my authentic self. This involved emphasising 'pleasant' characteristics at first while actually repressing a darker side or shadow side which took time to embrace. The Shadow is a Jungian term (Carl Gustav Jung) you might be familiar with. The "shadow", "Id", or "shadow archetype" may refer to an unconscious aspect of our personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. Jung describes the 'social face' as: "a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual".

#art #artist #drawing #markers #shadow #mask #adolescence #socialmask #persona #personality #authentic #characteristics #jung #jungian #carlgustavjung #archetype #unconscious #conscious #arttherapy #clientresponse #mentalhealth #therapy #painting #illustration #red #blue #self #portrait #selfportrait

'Tijd is slechts de stroom waarin ik vis' (2012)

'Tijd is slechts de stroom waarin ik vis' (2012)

Swipe for a short video of this performance or visit tiny.cc/fishing1 for the long version.

This registration of a performance I did in 2012 emphasises time and how we choose to spend it. It comments on the rushed people I observed near my old art academy in Rotterdam's busy city centre, the same environment where the performance took place. Taking on a meditative pose in this public space for over an hour, I started to discover even more about people’s behaviour in response to me as the artwork. Speeding up the registration, highlighted the contrast between haste and calmness. The title translates as: "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in". The patient and curious spectator could have discovered this sentence in the water when following my fishing-line🎣

#video #performance #art #artacademy #WillemdeKooning #WDKA #DBKV #time #spendingtime #rush #Rotterdam #Blaak #meditative #pose #publicspace #fishing #artwork #mindful #behaviour #haste #calmness #time #stream #water #patience #curious #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapist

'Pendrecht in Beeld' (2014) Pendrecht in Beeld (t

'Pendrecht in Beeld' (2014)

Pendrecht in Beeld (translated: Pendrecht in the Picture) is named after a series of art workshops I designed and conducted in Pendrecht, a neighbourhood of Rotterdam (NL). The graduation show for my 'BA Fine Art & Design in Education' included this staged photo depicting myself with three students. As part of my thesis on gentrification, I explored and attempted to visualise these children's experiences of growing up in a deprived area. Capturing what they so generously shared with me. A powerful experience and although we are products of our environment, I believe this doesn't necessarily mean the end product. This piece encourages us, as viewers and adults, to wonder about these children's outlook on life and those accountable for it.

Photographer: @duco.koutstaal

#pendrecht #picture #photo #photography #art #workshop #design #education #students #thesis #gentrification #DBKV #environment #outlookonlife #privilege #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #rotterdam #010 #netherlands

'Fusion' (2012) – Wood and Liquid Latex⁣ ⁣ T

'Fusion' (2012) – Wood and Liquid Latex⁣
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This sculpture of a creature came to life when inspired to fuse two random lifeless objects: a rubber glove and a comb. Both were merged in shape, form, and material, resulting in this surrealistic creation.⁣
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#fusion #art #sculpture #wood #latex #creature #rubberglove #comb #shape #material #lifeless #revitalizing #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy

'Pink Room' (2011) – Acrylic on paper⁣ ⁣ Wha

'Pink Room' (2011) – Acrylic on paper⁣
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What do the spaces we create reveal about us? ⁣
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Considering the therapeutic space as a “holding environment”, I now know the importance when establishing an art therapy room. The room represents a potential space for clients to process experiences inside themselves. In the same way, I noticed how the physical space helped me to better understand my role and what I have to offer, like functioning as a container for emotions. I've been exploring the meaning of spaces through art as early as 2011 and with this painting, in particular, my artistic fascination for 'intimate vs distant' relations.⁣
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#painting #pinkroom #acrylics #paper #art #space #therapeuticspace #holding #environment #room #exploring #physicalspace #emotions #cointaner #fascination #intimate #distant #arttherapy #mentalhealth #therapy #architecture #artwork #brush #pink #teacher #therapist

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