BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:27422@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:No Need To Pretend DTSTAMP:20260915T002152Z DTSTART:20261011T090000Z DESCRIPTION:How are young people really doing? They are growing up in a tim e of increasing\nuncertainty\,  pressure to succeed\, constant visibility and an endless flow of\ninformation and stimuli. The impact on their menta l wellbeing is receiving more\nand more attention. Yet it can still be dif ficult to put these feelings and\nexperiences into words. Art can play an important role in creating space for\nreflection and conversation. Around the occasion of the Day of Mental Health\,\nMelkweg Expo and MIND Us invit e visitors to explore these themes through art and\nopen dialogue.\n\nNo N eed To Pretend brings together contemporary art\, youth culture and mental \nhealth. The exhibition presents work by recently graduated artists from Dutch\nart academies. The selection was made in collaboration with youth a mbassadors\nfrom MIND Us\, who\, together with guest curator Cathelijne Bl ok\, explored\nartworks that connect with their experiences and perspectiv es. In the works of\nAnna Björk\, Densley Annastatia\, Elsa Rubio Björk\, Finn Koene\, Gala\nCamps-McLoughlin\, Mabel Blokzijl and Rosa Uribe\, the young ambassadors\nrecognised experiences of stress\, alienation and the p ressure to meet\nexpectations\, but also resilience\, connection and hope. \n\nNo Need To Pretend is not only about young people\, but was also creat ed in close\ncollaboration with them. The exhibition encourages open conve rsations about\nmental health and shows how art can help us express and di scuss emotions\, even\nif you are not familiar with contemporary art.There is no right or wrong\ninterpretation. What you see in an art work does no t necessarily need to match\nthe artist's intention. You may recognise som ething of your own experiences\,\nfind the starting point for a conversati on\, or discover that others share\nsimilar feelings. That is where the po wer of art lies.\n\nMIND Us \nFor this exhibition\, we collaborated with t he youth ambassadors of MIND Us. MIND\nUs is committed to supporting the h ealthy development and wellbeing of young\npeople. Together with young peo ple and partner organisations\, they work towards\na society where young p eople can be themselves\, grow and develop\, and easily\naccess the suppor t they need. By creating these opportunities and connections\,\nMIND Us he lps strengthen young people's resilience and enables them to take\nbetter care of their mental wellbeing. They do this together with everyone who\nw ants to make a positive difference.  URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/no-need-to-pretend GEO:52.3647777;4.881073026725959 LOCATION:Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234A\, 1017 PH Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,exhibition,leidseplein X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

How are young people really doing? Th ey are growing up in a time of increasing uncertainty,  pressure to s ucceed, constant visibility and an endless flow of information and stimuli . The impact on their mental wellbeing is receiving more and more attentio n. Yet it can still be difficult to put these feelings and experiences int o words. Art can play an important role in creating space for reflection a nd conversation. Around the occasion of the Day of Mental Health, Melkweg Expo and MIND Us invite visitors to explore these themes through art and o pen dialogue.

No Need To Pretend brings together contem porary art, youth culture and mental health. The exhibition presents work by recently graduated artists from Dutch art academies. The selection was made in collaboration with youth ambassadors from MIND Us, who, together w ith guest curator Cathelijne Blok, explored artworks that connect with the ir experiences and perspectives. In the works of Anna Björk, Densley Annas tatia, Elsa Rubio Björk, Finn Koene, Gala Camps-McLoughlin, Mabel Blokzijl and Rosa Uribe, the young ambassadors recognised experiences of stress, a lienation and the pressure to meet expectations, but also resilience, conn ection and hope.

No Need To Pretend is not only about y oung people, but was also created in close collaboration with them. The ex hibition encourages open conversations about mental health and shows how a rt can help us express and discuss emotions, even if you are not familiar with contemporary art.There is no right or wrong interpretation. What you see in an art work does not necessarily need to match the artist's intenti on. You may recognise something of your own experiences, find the starting point for a conversation, or discover that others share similar feelings. That is where the power of art lies.

MIND Us 
For this exhibition, we collaborated with the youth am bassadors of MIND Us. MIND Us is committed to supporting the healthy devel opment and wellbeing of young people. Together with young people and partn er organisations, they work towards a society where young people can be th emselves, grow and develop, and easily access the support they need. By cr eating these opportunities and connections, MIND Us helps strengthen young people's resilience and enables them to take better care of their mental wellbeing. They do this together with everyone who wants to make a positiv e difference. 

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