“A Dream,” an art exhibition opened recently in Arman cinema hall in Almaty, displays paintings created by children who are suffering from leukemia and angiostaxis. The children attended workshops organised by Kazakh artist Marat Bekeev and sculptor Eduard Kazaryan in order to learn how to express their feelings on canvas.
Every dream world imagined by the little artists is different – some children want to live in a peaceful and prosperous country, while others are eager to explore space or have a beautiful house for a family to live in. However, all the art works express the children’s positive spirit and hope for the best.
Those workshops are aimed at the psychological support and rehabilitation of the little patients. Moreover, it is believed that such art therapy can improve their psychological status. Art therapy lets children fulfill simple creative tasks that will not cause discomfort, worry or stress. It should help them stop controlling their own emotions and spontaneously express perceptions of the world around them, describe their own feelings and get release from them.
According to statistics, about 350-400 children up to age 15 suffer from oncological diseases and 284 children have angiostaxis in Almaty. In general, 1,289 little patients received anti-tumor therapy in 2011.
“Children who suffer from angiostaxis are literally fragile. From their early childhood they are not allowed to run fast or play active games, as they have to be protected from falling and cutting themselves. Such restrictions prevent them from leading normal lifes and because of that, these children need a psychological safety valve, ” explained the President of the Kazakh Association of Disabled People and Angiostaxis Patients Tamara Rybalova.
The social programme for such children was launched in 2013 by the Kazaryan art studio. The first exhibition was held in October 2010 and recently presented in Monaco, where it has attracted public attention.
