Eminent Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad along with actors and members of the crew of her film ‘The Tales’ visited a paintings exhibition by socially vulnerable women at the women’s ‘House of Sun’ center in Tehran.
An exhibition of paintings by the women held on Friday was visited by artists and the public who purchased several of the works. The proceeds will be used to help women supported by the center, said its director Sorur Monshizadeh.
“By displaying their works, we wanted to show the strong influence of art therapy in the healing process, especially on addicts,” Monshizadeh said, Honaronline reported.
Established in Tehran in 2006, House of Sun seeks to help alleviate the problems of women referred to the center, who include the homeless, drug addicts, HIV and hepatitis-infected women, and those suffering from domestic abuse.
The center provides them shelter to recover from trauma and organizes vocational training to help them become financially independent. Their legal, financial, health, emotional and educational problems are addressed by social workers who make efforts “to bring back hope to the women” by offering counseling.
Art Therapy
Art therapy is a creative method of expression used as a therapeutic technique. It originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and focuses on the creative art-making process itself or on the analysis of expression gained through an exchange of patient/client interaction.
Actors Atefeh Razavi, Habib Rezaei and art designer Amir Esbati, attended the event.
‘The Tales’ narrates the story of different women, all victims of social ills, trying to survive through the storms of life. Razavi plays the role of one of the women.
Bani-Etemad had earlier in a philanthropic gesture, put up her Asia Pacific Screen Award (APSA) - won for ‘The Tales’ – for auction in favor of homeless women. Her initiative was followed by several Iranian artists and even three Russian astronauts joined the humanitarian movement.
