The Things We Hold

Andrea Casado

This is a quilt of heavy emotions that weigh on the individual. It brings incorporeal emotions that I have discussed with friends into a material representation. With this piece I wanted to explore expressing not only my own experiences and personal journey with mental health but that of my friends. Mental health is something that is often presented with data, clinical studies and medication lists. This can leave a rather lackluster overview of the subject. I wanted to take an artist's approach to the topic by creating a more colorful emotional informational display. In this piece I used various fabrics, embroidery thread, thread, fabric paint and ink to translate words into a quilt. These are the materials used by my family members in the past, including those who struggled with mental health. I wanted to use these to stitch together the connections I have with my friends, a found family.

This piece is a reflection of dialogue with those close to me. It is not only for those I have spoken with but those I have yet to hear. I want to expand my work into providing others with a safe space to have open conversations. I hope to use this opportunity to further connect and create collaborative pieces. This quilt is for connecting those on their own mental health journey with each other.

About the Artist

In my practice I focus on mental health & emotions. I make this work as my own outlet and I want to use it to inspire others to open up conversations about their own experience with mental health. For the context of each piece I take inspiration not only from my own experiences but from friends, books and podcasts as well. While for the visuals I take inspiration from movies, series, and other artists. Using mixed media; including wood, plastic, polymer clay, fabric, paint, organic matter, & ink I work to bring the intangible to solidity. Often getting lost for hours at a time in an encompassing compulsion of production. I make this work to give physical representation of things that are often left unsaid and unheard. These pieces are for those who are on their own journey with mental health and for those who seek to process and understand it. “Mental health... is not a destination but a process. It's about how you drive, not where you're going.” ― Noam Shpancer.