Arte como espaço de escuta e subjetivação: o papel social das visualidades em contextos hospitalares de saúde mental

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis aimed to investigate the relationships between art, mental health, and care through the visual arts workshops carried out at the Mental Health Inpatient Unit (UISM) of the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia (HC-UFU), within the framework of the Dê Lírios Extension Project. Initially, a historical overview is presented, addressing changing conceptions of madness, the emergence of the asylum model, the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform, and Nise da Silveira’s contributions to the development of care practices grounded in art. Subsequently, the study discusses Lev Vygotsky’s theoretical contributions regarding art as a social experience, as well as the concept of transdisciplinarity by Barasab Nicolescu as a means of articulating art, psychology, and mental health. This research adopts a qualitative and reflective approach, drawing upon the author’s experience as a visual arts workshop facilitator at the UISM. The analyses highlight the potential of visual arts workshops as spaces for expression, listening, and relationship-building, while also revealing the limitations and contradictions involved in artistic practice within a hospital setting. It is concluded that art, although not capable of structurally transforming institutions, can produce small ruptures in the dynamics of control, favoring creative experiences in psychic suffering.