ArtCan Virtual Gallery
10th – 31st March 2025
Private view Tuesday 11th March
Being Seen is a moving exhibition by artist Andy Farr, showcasing paintings inspired by personal testimonies of resilience and recovery from trauma. Through his work, Andy visually represents the hidden pain and the transformative journeys of those navigating trauma toward healing.
The exhibition highlights how being “seen” can foster profound healing, with participants sharing their vulnerabilities to build resilience and connection. Alongside the artwork, visitors can engage with poetry, personal narratives and video that deepen the understanding of trauma and recovery.
The virtual gallery by ArtCan displays work spanning the last eight years by the artist, the results of collaborations with the Institute of Mental Health, MIND, Birth Trauma Association, With-you, Day One Trauma support, University of Nottingham and Arts Council England. He has worked with people whose lives have been impacted in many different ways and from diverse backgrounds.
Andy hopes that the exhibition will foster understanding and empathy and engender hope, presenting trauma not only as a source of suffering but also as an opportunity for growth and renewed purpose.
The exhibition opens on March 10th, with a virtual event on March 11th (8 – 9PM, UK Time) featuring a talk by Andy. Visitors are invited to experience the art, words, and stories that bring light to the resilience of the human spirit.
The Curator
Andy Farr, an award-winning artist in the Midlands and a doctoral researcher at Nottingham University, began exploring trauma through art during his master’s degree in 2017. He collaborates with others to transform their experiences into artistic expressions, focusing on the emotional and psychological aspects rather than the trauma itself. His research examines the therapeutic benefits of creating “trauma portraits” for individuals who have experienced trauma.
With support from: Kate Enters
Kate Enters is passionate about supporting artists and is the founder and director of ArtCan, an international arts organisation providing opportunities and fair payment for artists. She creates an annual exhibition programme at venues in the UK and overseas, honed through her background in events management for high end art museums, celebrity charity events and arts PR. Over the last decade she has developed this community of artists and art supporters across 26 countries, built international corporate partnerships and during the pandemic worked with a designer to create a bespoke virtual art gallery. ArtCan has been awarded Most Empowering Artist Opportunity Provider – UK for the past two years and is a member of Social Enterprise UK and the Global Climate Coalition.
Kate was a selector for the ING Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London in 2022. In 2023 she was awarded a Women Entrepreneur Award for the Arts, and in 2024 was a finalist for a creative Entrepreneur of the Year award in the East of England category.
Kate works at the prize-winning London architecture practice, Stanton Williams, is an experienced curator, a figurative artist and regularly writes about art.
The Gallery
ArtCan’s own virtual gallery is a virtual space that enables ArtCan to develop their hybrid model of exhibiting, which provides both offline and online programming and viewing opportunities. Initially, the hybrid model was a response to the limitations of COVID-19. However, in recommitting to its online reach ArtCan has seen its involvement with both its membership and audience broaden and deepen and for these reasons will remain.
Tom Dale, TD360, has redesigned the gallery space specifically for Being Seen.
