Take time to kōrero _{by Sam Hollis}

One in five New Zealanders experience a mental illness each year, and that number is only trending upwards. To draw attention to Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), the Urban Art Foundation teamed up with the Mental Health Foundation to launch Take Time to Kōrero/mā te kōrero, ka ora.

MHAW ran between the 27^th of September and the 3^rd of October, with this year’s theme reflected in the title of this exhibition. Take time to kōrero is a message that encourages Kiwis to be open and accepting when discussing mental health. A little chat can go a long way, Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson says.

“Art can be a fantastic tool for sparking conversations between people. It’s the small, everyday conversations that allow us to get a better understanding of each other – and these chats can make a big difference to our mental health, too.”

Thanks to assistance by a wealth of major art institutions like the Waikato Museum, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, the Fletcher Trust Collection, and the Chris Parkin Collection, Take Time to Kōrero/mā te kōrero, ka ora includes work by some of our most famous artists. Rita Angus, Don Binney, Robin White, and Jacqueline Fahey are just a few that are featured.

The digital exhibition will be displayed on the Urban Art Foundation’s nationwide network of oOh!media screens until the 8^th of November. In Wellington, screens can be found at the railway station, the airport, Queensgate Shopping Centre, North City Shopping Centre, and on Lambton Quay.

If you or anybody close to you is struggling with a mental illness, visit www.mentalhealth.org.nz to learn how you can seek help.