Get permission to be unproductive at new art show
Needing rest is normal, not a weakness. That's the message behind a new exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art opening this weekend.
Why it matters: Basically, everyone feels mentally exhausted these days, and local artist Kate Tova's art explores why and how to feel less drained.
Zoom in: Tova's paintings show people planted face down in fields of flowers in "A Place to Rest (My Tired Mind)."
"They're surrendering to these wildflower meadows," Tova told Axios.The fact that you can't see their faces reflects our shared exhaustion, she said."When the face is hidden, the figure is more of a mirror," she said.By the numbers: California was the fourth most "brain-rotted" state in the country, according to a recent study.
It looked at factors such as social media use, video gaming engagement, internet access and search behavior and assigned each state a score.California was 94.5 out of 100, behind Utah, Louisiana and Texas.Digital brain rot contributes to the never-ending feeling of having things to do and the fatigue that brings, Tova said.
"You have these lists and you check one thing off and then there are three more to add on," she said.Case in point: Creating an exhibit to combat exhaustion was exhausting for Tova.
Her biggest piece is 7x7 feet, which required a lot of physical work."Constant ladder climbing, constant heavy lifting, stretching the canvas, nailing, cutting wood," she said.And then lots of computer work to get ready for the show.Yes, but: Rest is a human right, it shouldn't just be a reward, Tova said.
She hopes viewers will leave feeling permission to be unproductive."Tiredness is not a flaw, but a signal that we should return to ourselves and care more about our bodies and mental health," she said.Flashback: A lot of art depicts physical labor, working in fields or farming, but Tova said her work explores the hidden labor in the modern mind.
That means emails, messages, social media updates and everything on our digital to-do lists."So this series is a signal for me to figure out what it means for me to rest," she said.
That can be small, simple things, like going outside and just looking at trees and birds.Painting is also amazing for mental health, she noted.If you go: The exhibition opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 27.
Tova's work will be in the museum's grand stairwell.It will lead visitors to the gallery, where more work will be displayed.Plus, a surprise, Tova said, "I'm making an actual place to rest in the gallery."
