School of Creative
Industries
Tan Shu Xian
Upon attaining her degree in social work, Shu Xian launched herself into an eight-year-long career in the social work space, working with children and youths with diverse backgrounds such as mental health, school absenteeism, family violence and delinquency.
Driven by a need to enhance her ability to connect with and support clients on a deeper level, Shu Xian enrolled in LASALLE College of the Arts' MA Art Therapy programme to grow her artistic competency and to utilise art as a therapeutic approach.
Through her clinical internship, she worked with children and youths, creating safe and nurturing spaces for them to express themselves through art and promoting healing, growth and self-discovery.
Work
Embrace Imperfections
Mixed media
Dimensions variable
2024
In this work, the artist embraces different layers of herself. They include doubts, insecurities, joys and fears, each deserving of recognition and acceptance.
Viewers are invited to explore the work from various angles and beyond the gallery space. They may witness the interplay of layers, which reveal and conceal parts of the narrative. The natural light filtering through the glass window introduces surprises and offer varied interpretations.
There is no singular ‘right’ self. Rather, growth is a personal journey. Audiences may reflect on their own emotions, growth and experiences – might you discover undocumented layers?
Thesis abstract
A melding of identities: The experience of a social worker training to be an art therapist
This qualitative, practitioner-based thesis explores the journey of a social worker in Singapore transitioning to becoming an art therapist and looking into how this dual training enhances clinical work, particularly with adolescents who have experienced traumatic events.
This study gathers findings on the therapeutic process and the dynamics between the art, client and therapist. It also examines the internal struggles faced by the beginner art therapist. Utilising response art as a reflective tool to gain insights into the integration of various aspects of the self – professional, personal, and artistic – and her embracing of these evolving identities in the ongoing learning process towards becoming a competent practitioner.