The lack of information on mental health, prejudices associated with it, and the deinstitutionalization of those who suffer from mental health problems depicts the context which inspired our team to develop this uniqe project. This exhibition represents a different way of influencing stigma on mental health problems. Visual art – photography. Its aim was to challenge the visitors’ attitude on mental health, triggering the main question “what distinguishes normal from abnormal”, thus making them active participants of this journey. 20 photographs in black and white of individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder and of individuals randomly identified in the community with “no diagnosis”, were shown to the visitors. The 21st photography was represented by a mirror set at the end of the photographs, where visitors saw themselves, thus enabling their direct and greater involvement with the subject of the photography. By facing the mirror, they get a chance of confronting with own perceptions and prejudices on the normality versus/via abnormality. The authors of this project aimed at targeting Tirana population in particular young people. The exhibition was opened on 10th October 2016, on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. This project was implemented in collaboration with Galeria KALO, with the support of Ministry of Culture, Tirana Municipality, Ministry of Health, Adrion Ltd, POSh and Pharmawest.
