An IRL platform started by writer and curator Bryony Stone, which goes under the alias ‘all in:’ launches tonight, with the aim to use art to gather people together, spark consequential discussions and act as a catalyst for social change in regards to mental health. As an accessible, online community, ‘all in:’ provides a space for fresh ideas and personal experiences to be shared. “I started ‘all in:’ as an IRL platform which uses art as a springboard to provoke meaningful conversations,” Stone explains. “Talking about mental health can be intimidating because it’ so often so personal and tangled up in emotion.”

“There is so much pressure to perform for creatives” – Bryony Stone

For almost a year she has been thinking about all in: the mind – an exhibition dedicated to mental health awareness in the hectic creative industry. Stone says, “There is so much pressure to perform for creatives…I wanted to remind people that they aren’t alone by establishing a framework where these conversations could be had.” In a pursuit to break the silence surrounding mental health, this 10-day exhibit brings together 19 artists from all realms of the creative world. Despite their different outcomes, each artist shares the hunger of pushing the boundaries of their mediums to see what they can achieve, often resulting in experimental, outspoken work. From Campbell Addy to Gary Card to Gaika, each creative offers “their own unique perspective on mental health, bringing their own experience to the show and adding their voice to a purposefully diverse collective narrative.”

Although forming a universal sentiment of acceptance and openness, visitors can expect to see an all-embracing mix of visual representations and interpretations of mental health. Whether discussing welfare in creative communities, drug use or the effect of political events on mental health, the artists of all in: the mind speak up about how mental health manifests itself in them personally.

Sharing a common ground in what they all call home, these London-based artists will be presenting their work in the arches underneath Waterloo station at House of Vans; Stone divulges the city’s critical impact on the exhibition. “So consciously or subconsciously, the city becomes a subtext, looming in the background of each of the artist’s very different experiences.” By bringing together industries, people and art Stone offers a safe haven for those struggling with mental health, “some openly, others behind locked loo cubicle doors”.

all in: the mind opens at London’s House of Vans on Thursday 10 August at 7pm and will run until 20 August 2017. A mental health and creativity panel discussion will be held on 17 August from 7pm.

Artists involved include Akinola Davies, Margot Bowman, Gaika, Holly Blakey, Mica Levi, James Massiah, A Sai Ta, Joy Miessi, Tim Noble, Celia Hempton, Diana Chire, Tom Mattison, Gary Card, Liam Hodges, Suzannah Pettigrew, Campbell Addy, Joey Yu, Sienna Murdoch and Hannah Perry