Mosgiel artist Justin Morshuis is about to open his first
art exhibition in four years. Photo by Linda Robertson.
When Justin Morshuis experienced a bout of serious mental
illness four years ago, the Mosgiel artist questioned whether
he would ever exhibit again.
But the 36-year-old has made a return to the limelight of the
art world with his first major exhibition in four years.
It is titled Landscapes of the Heart and opens at the
Gallery on Blueskin this Sunday at 11am.
Mr Morshuis said it had taken him two years to complete the
paintings and some of the artworks were from his "recovery"
period.
"I'm chuffed about this show. It's taken a long time to get
the work together with a lot of support from Mum and Dad and
my health team."
Mr Morshuis had a promising career ahead of him as a painter,
having won Cleveland Art Award merit awards in 2000 and 2001.
However, he was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) in 2002, a condition he believed he had had all his
life. Soon after, he began experiencing moments of psychosis.
"Life was horrible during my recovery. I went straight back
to the mental age of a 2-year-old kid.
"But art helped me. It gave me a positive focus and it
allowed me to express some dark moments. Painting has helped
me to process some of my thoughts," Mr Morshuis said.
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