BEEING SEEN

About the project

Being Seen is a new series of paintings created in 2024. Each painting is based on one-to-one dialogues with people  who have experienced various forms of trauma, including the Manchester Arena bombing, serious illness, road accidents, and childhood abuse. The participants have been a mix of new subjects and some who I painted in earlier projects.

The title reflects both the visual medium and the process of attunement that led to the creation of each work. This project wouldn’t have been possible without my two partner organizations:  
- With-You  Consultancy, an organisation specialising in peer support and peer-based approaches. My association with stretches back over five years to The Twisted Rose & Other Lives exhibition project. 
- DayOne Trauma Support help anyone affected by major physical trauma rebuild their life. From day one, for as long as it takes

The paintings explore how art and storytelling can work as a lever to unlock trauma and aid in post-traumatic growth and build on the The Twisted Rose & Other Lives, 2018 (supported by the Institute of Mental Health and ACE), and Portraits of Isolation in 2020 (supported by With You and the Framework charity and most recently Inside:Out a series of paintings commissioned by with Nottingham University & CVS.

The exhibition

The first exhibition will be at the IMH until January and then in Coventry and London in 2025. The paintings sit alongside co-created background narratives.

This will be supplemented by a beautiful virtual exhibition in March 2025 hosted by ArtCan

Alongside the exhibitions I will be hosting seminars focused on storytelling, art, and recovery for art groups. Please contact me if you are interested.

Funding

Sadly this project was turned down by Arts Council England who felt other projects were more important. Hence I have no funding for the project, exhibition spaces or catalogue. I am selling a series of limited edition prints where all the profits will go toward supporting the project.

For more information about this project please email me at andyfarr.artist@gmail.com

What Does It Mean to Be Seen?

My process is on the surface straightforward: listening to each person’s narrative, responding through art, and sharing the resulting piece with them and then the public. Sometimes this journey from conversation to painting is direct, in other cases, the road can be winding, but it always concludes with asking the subject how they feel about the painting.

After Em expressed feeling "very seen" by her painting, I reflected on what it means to be seen. Over the past six years, working with trauma survivors I’ve noticed that this sense of  feeling and being seen is a recurring theme. As Susana, one of my participants, notes, "To be seen is something we all desire, but for those who have endured trauma, the need can feel even more pressing."

Susana’s paintings are based on her own self-portrait photographs, but often the subject is not shown in the painting. I believe when people talk of "Being Seen," a central element is a sense of being understood and validated during our conversations. This is a necessary precursor to the creation of meaningful art—art that then reveals parts of ourselves we may not have fully acknowledged. In that sense, being seen truly means offering different perspectives that may be surprising and deeply moving.

Safe Connection

Being seen goes beyond observation; it’s about sharing vulnerability in a safe, non-judgmental space. For survivors, trust is essential. Skyban described the relief of being accepted without judgment: "I felt valid and validated, and I didn’t have to be seen for that to happen. There was no judgment—just curiosity and acceptance." This safe connection fosters healing, enabling participants to explore their stories more deeply.

Art as a Mirror for Reflection and Healing

Equally essential is the artwork that emerges from this process of being seen—something that is literally seen. Through my paintings, I seek to translate and transform each personal experience into something tangible, something that enters the public domain as a representation of their journey. This in itself could also be seen as a form of attunement, where the level of understanding and mutual resonance is evidenced by the physical output that is an imaginative response to the person’s narrative.

As Susana explains, “Years of repeated trauma can erode your sense of self... rebuilding this sense of self is a lifelong journey, but seeing myself through the eyes of another artist helps guide and strengthen this process.”

I am continually humbled by the resilience of those who trust me with their stories. Their courage inspires art that seeks to honour their journeys. I’m deeply grateful to With-You and DayOne trauma support, and especially Marissa Lambert, co-founder of With-You, for her unwavering guidance over the past six years.

Andy Farr

ART & WORDS

The Being Seen Catalogue