Randall Barnetson

Facemounted Print

$295

To depict mental health challenges and my experiences, I have created a moon design with a braid around it. The moon symbolizes my struggles with mental health. There have been many nights I spent crying out to God. For me, the moon represents all those unseen tears and emotions. While these emotions go unseen by man, these emotions are seen by Creator Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, who understands our grief (Isaiah 53:3). He is the one who has kept track of all our sorrows, who has collected all our tears (Psalm 56:8). The braid around the moon signifies how mental health is a part of everything in the life of someone who is struggling. Sorrow is essentially braided into everything in life. The moon and braid are my attempt to illustrate the notion of mental health needs and my experience with clinical depression.

Randall Bear Barnetson is Nadleh Whut’en, Dakelh, and of the Bear Clan. As an Indigenous Person from the Northwest Coast, Randall Bear uses the traditional art style of his people as a framework to interpret contemporary issues such as identity, spirituality, mental health, and culture.