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Arts and Health Merge for a Global Impact

A unique collaboration between academia, leading art and cultural venues, medical professionals, creative arts therapists, artists and UN partners, the special publication on ‘WHO // Arts and Health’ introduces a multimedia project that brings together diverse communities in a conversation delivering real-world healing impact.

Geneva, 15 January 2024 — ‘WHO // Arts and Health,’ a collaborative endeavor led by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, artgeneve, le Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH), OK’TAVA Open Arts, Addictlab, the SDG Fablab of the University of Geneva and the SDGzine, redefines the discourse on arts and health. It offers a narrative that challenges, provokes, and elevates the dialogue surrounding the profound impact of art on individual and collective well-being.

Publication: Convening A New Conversation 

Taking root in UN SDG3 (Public Health & Well-being), ‘WHO // Arts and Health’ branches out into a vivid universe where urgent public health needs converge and converse with the healing power of art.

The authors cover a wide array of synergies in their essays. These include neurography as a means to connect to our inner speech, overcoming war trauma and isolation through art therapy, the ‘identifiable victim effect’ as a bridge from the one to the many, harnessing internal talent in a WHO art gallery, finding peace and justice in a real-life/real-time opera, connecting people struggling with neuropathy to everyday life through the language of masterpieces at MAH, and the role of research in measurably improving health through that arts by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, a collaboration with the WHO, NYU Steinhardt, Community Jameel and Culturunners. The authors debate questions and lead the reader on the new pathways of exchange and experimentation towards health for all.

A Multifaceted Exploration: Art Meets Health

The collaborating institutions—Jameel Arts & Health Lab, artgeneve, MAH, OK’TAVA Open Arts, Addictlab, and the SDG Fablab of the University of Geneva—are the intellectual forces converging to redefine the narrative around arts and health. Their combined expertise serves as the bedrock for the publication, saturated with substantive insights, evidence, experiences, and new ideas.

The multimedia project built around the publication offers a clear-eyed examination of the myriad paths where art and health intersect for global healing impact. Each essay and event invites readers to navigate diverse landscapes, from a Congolese village expressing its struggles through ‘Justice’ by Milo RAU to the exploration of traditional music and social causes in Kyrgyzstan. It is a robust intellectual journey grounded in real-world experience.

Universal Language of Art: A Pivotal Theme

Central to ‘WHO // Arts and Health’ is a strong message—the language of art transcends barriers and carries enormous healing potential. It is not metaphorical; it is a reality that binds humanity. Its power lies in the universal communicator that art proves to be, resonating far beyond the physical and spoken word and offering a path to health for all.

Events: An Unveiling Beyond the Pages

Accompanying the publication is a series of events, each designed to reveal dimensions beyond the printed word.

  • 17 January, SDG Tent in Davos:  The first presentation of the publication amplifies the global conversation, resonating with the stakeholders and communities represented at the World Economic Forum.

  • 22 January, premiere of ‘Justice’ at the Grand Theatre de Geneve:  The opera premiere offers a powerful visceral context to the publication, emphasizing the potency of artistic expression in addressing social issues.

  • 25 January, Art Tickle Talks and immersive workshops at artgeneve: The authors will challenge the audience to experience the healing power of arts, sparked by the narratives within ‘WHO // Arts and Health,’ in practice.

  • 25 January – 28 January, artgeneve:  The publication will be on display at ‘The Egg,’ a mobile space for reading and exchange created by Jan van Mol.

  • March – April 2024:  Stay tuned for upcoming immersive experiences at le Musee d’Art et d’Histoire, MAMCO and other cultural venues around the world.

For press inquiries, review copies, or interviews, please contact Jan van Mol at jan@addictlab.com and Yulia Lem at yulia.lem@unitedforu.org.

Online & Print Publication

  • 22 on 28 cm
  • 40 + 4 pages
  • printed on recycled paper
  • hard copy price 10 CHf
  • order here
  • published by Lab.002 sarl, Campus Biotech Innovation Park, 15 Avenue de Secheron, 1202 Geneva
Order Your WHO Arts & Health issue here / 10CHF