Sabrina Jovic

January is the month when we make (and sometimes break) our New Year’s resolutions, focusing on improving our lives both mentally and physically. The Quinte Arts Council (QAC) proudly presents Neurotic” by the incredibly talented Sabrina Jovic! Mark your calendars from January 11th to January 26th for an exhibition that explores the fascinating intersection of the mind and music. 

With Bell Let’s Talk Day just around the corner on January 24th, 2024, Neurotics couldn’t have found a more fitting home at the QAC Cultural Hub. “Bell Let’s Talk Day is a reminder to end the stigma surrounding mental illness through open and honest conversations, and to support mental health initiatives around the country. Today and every day, we can create positive change by taking meaningful action.” (letstalk.bell.ca/)

Join us for an engaging Opening Reception on January 11th from 4 pm to 6 pm. This is your opportunity to not only witness the brilliance of Jovic’s work but also a unique opportunity to meet the artist. Imagine diving into the mind behind the masterpieces, gaining insights into the inspiration that fuels this exceptional display.

Jovic believes in the transformative power of art on mental health. It’s a celebration of creativity, a tribute to the mind, and a timely reminder of the impact art can have on our well-being. Experience the art, feel the music, and join us in creating a dialogue about mental health through the expressive language of Sabrina Jovic’s “Neurotics.” 

Jovic developed a program alongside her partner Stan Claus called The Art of Music. With funding provided, in part, by the Ontario Arts Council this program has evolved to work with residents in long-term health care facilities. Live music is played and participants create abstract art in response to the music. Jovic came up with this program during a time she was struggling to vocalise her emotional state. 

“This program was created during a time when I was going through a debilitating depression. I found myself painting little abstract pictures to help me express what words could not say. I

found a lot of alleviation in depressive symptoms when painting to music. Seeing the benefits of integrated art and music.”

Jovic is the first artist in her family; her father worked in mining and her mother worked in accounting. A long-term occasional teacher, Jovic has a Bachelor of Arts from Laurentian and a Bachelor of Education from Nippissing. Jovic understands how valuable the arts are in a classroom. 

“I have found the arts are valuable learning for their own sake, but it is an extraordinary tool for fostering student engagement. The arts promote student resilience, self-regulation and creative problem solving. Integrating the arts into other subjects, helps students to develop creative risk-taking and imagination by addressing multiple intelligences and ways of knowing.”

For Jovic the creative process has taken time to develop and combines mood tracking, creating and music and leads to the creation of dynamic pieces. 

“The creative process has been developing on restless nights when I am trying to process

things. It takes time to absorb what I want to do.I then document what I was feeling at the time using a mood tracker and identify colours to assign to those feelings. Once self aware it moves into the expression by combining music- using my knowledge of music and applying it to visual art to express emotion and state of mind. reflecting on pieces when finished even though it may be not pleasing to the eye, it represents what was being felt.”

Neurotics explores the connections formed in the mind. Jovic wanted to show how she interpreted those connections in her own mind. Works were created over time as Jovic listened to music ranging from classical, jazz, Metallica, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Leonard Cohen and more.

“I was reading about neuron connections among brain cells that make our brain work and

determine who we are and how we feel and interact with the world. These connections within the brain and with the world around us can be lost or compromised in many brain diseases and mental health conditions. I was also looking at different brain scans of mental health diagnoses and the colours that came up on MRI scans. I was fascinated and wanted to create a series of works combining music and art to create art reflecting my own frame of mind.”

Several of the pieces that will be featured in Neurotics have been selected for publication in

in the Fall 2023 Edition of Transition – a magazine published by the Saskatchewan Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Jovic hopes to take some of the stigma away from mental health issues by being vocal about the challenges and by creating works that highlight the mind. 

“A lot of the inspiration comes from mental health challenges and using the arts as a tool to help manage. I’ve accepted that this is a part of who I am. I believe we go through challenges that strengthen us so that we help others when they need it. I hope by sharing my journey with mental health will open conversation to decrease stigma for others navigating similar challenges.”

Neurotics is on display at the QAC Gallery, 36 Bridge St East, 

until January 26th, 2024. Opening night with an opportunity to meet and discuss the works with the artist will take place January 11th from 4PM-6PM. 

#NeuroticsArtShow #QACCulturalHub #BellLetsTalk