• KEITH BRANDON CARI-AN
A Negrense artist explores and bares the depths of her soul at the “Tales of the Psyche” exhibit at the Art Cove of Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod.
Shiela Marie Diola-Basio considers herself an emotive artist. With her main medium, acrylic on canvas, Diola-Basio used her third mounting to further open herself – more vulnerable than before. She has also explored the beauty and the challenges of watercolor and oil as media.
The Tales of the Psyche unearths the artist’s stories of struggles, secrets, and resilience. As she shares the pages of her unconscious, Diola-Basio shows that even without formal training, one can birth thought-provoking pieces largely fueled by emotion, honesty to one-self, dedication, and ferocity to face life’s challenges.
During her speech at the opening of the exhibit Wednesday, June 5, Diola-Basio shared her hopes of helping break the mental health stigma with her art. She also admitted that she had undergone mental health struggles, and that through her family, friends, and art, she was able to overcome them.
An Escalante City native, Diola-Basio dedicates Tales of the Psyche to her parents and friends who played a crucial part in pursuing her dreams as an artist.
“So much of my life was controlled by anxiety,” shared the artist in her painting entitled “Unstigmatized.”
She said that the more she spoke about her mental health struggles, the weight off her shoulders seemed to be lifted.
“And every extra person I told about it, I felt a little less shame about what I had, I felt like I was taking ownership of it. Dealing with mental illness or mental health concerns in general can come with a lot of feelings of shame. What helped me tremendously was to break the news,” she said.
She said she’d encourage everyone to have a conversation even just ask a friend how they are. “[A]lot is going on under the surface. So I’d like people to take the opportunity to perhaps not just speak to others if they’re struggling, but speak to their friends if they think there’s something wrong with them.”
In her piece “Freer”, the artist describes the incomparable bliss of feeling free. Free to be yourself. Free to create. Free to give to others. Free to love. Free to make your life what you want it to be.
“But we are so much more than just our minds,” she continues, “We are sentient beings who have intuition and wisdom beyond thought. Our heart sends more signals to the brain than vice versa. The artists chose to live heart first.”
Diola-Basio walks with you at the Tales of the Psyche. It’s like talking with a friend about the doldrums inside your heart. All you have to do is open up. ||
