The last couple of years have been hectic with the birth of my second child in 2013. I was also awarded an AIDF (Artists International Development Fund) Grant from the Arts Council and British Council in 2014 to complete an exciting scroll project in Bangladesh and Burma.
In March 2015 I was in Bangladesh and Burma completing the first phase of the project, undergoing the research part and meeting with local artists, writers and film makers. I have acquired enough material in order to create the scroll, which I hope to complete in 2016 with a view to showing it in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Burma in collaboration with the British Council in all three of these countries.
There was also a screening of my film White Wall at Pansodan Gallery in Yangon, followed by a talk and on 25th March 2015 I gave another talk at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur about my art and new book which deals with the subject of maternal mental illness.
Also, after years of stubborn resisitance I have started a blog: www.artmotherhoodandmadness@tumblr.com which has proved to be a good outlet for my brain, if not slightly addictive. Twitter is also proving to be a revelation, and by the end of 2015 I have made contact with whole network of people passionate about mental health. I also started a Schizophrenics Can Be Good Mothers Too facebook page and hope to continue my campaign to raise awareness about psychosis and postpartum disorders.
Thanks to an introduction from Alastair Campbell I am now blogging for the Huffington Post and have had over 20 articles published this year ranging from mental health to politics.
After the success of my mid-career retrospective at Rich Mix in March 2013, I returned for a second solo show in June 2015 to coincide with the publication of my new book 'Schizophrenices Can Be Good Mothers Too' published by Muswell Hill Press, Jan 2015.
The book is available now:
http://www.amazon.com/Schizophrenics-Good-Mothers-Muswell-Press/dp/1908995157
During the course of the one-month exhibition at Rich Mix June 2015 Sanchita Islam showed four new scrolls, 120 postcards, sketches of mother and child, including photographic potraits created with Brussels based photographer Lieven van Meulder addressing representations of madness via portraiture.
There was also be a theatre performance consisting of poems, musings and excerpts from Sanchita Islam's new book 'Schizophrenics Can Be Good Mothers Too' publised in New York and London by Muswell Hill Press January 2015.
Sanchita hosted a debate with key psychiatrists working in the field of psychosis:Dr Bass, Dr Tim Read and Brussels based psychiatrist Dr Erik Thys to discuss art and psychosis and how creativity can be used as an alternative or in conjunction with medication.
I was also intereviewed in the Guardian and did other interviews for various online publications, which are listed in the Press page.
These last few months I have been working on my second War Scroll, the 1000 postcard series (230 completed so far) and 4 oil paintings. I also signed with Lollipop Gallery.
In January 2016, I will be presenting my work at Ilham Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and an Asian publishing house, Oyez publishing have agreed to work with me on my first children's book: The Tree People.
On 5th Feb I will be having a book launch of 'Schizophrenics Can Be Good Mothers Too' from 7pm onwards at Brick Lane Book shop and on 17th Feb I will be presenting my War Scroll completed with patients at TrActor at KAOS in Brussels. I will also be showing photos, including the work of my colleague Lieven Van Meulder.
My hopes for 2016 are to continue with my mental health campaiging, blogging, writing, making my scrolls and art and publishing The Tree People.
Twitter@Q_Sanchita_Lam
Facebook: Sanchita Islam