Whenever Hongkonger Christina Lau Siu-mui misses her mother who died of cancer about a year ago, she goes to her study and opens a small wooden box.
On the underside of the lid is a scene Lau painted of a tranquil sky with clouds. On the base of the box, there is a vibrant meadow filled with colourful wildflowers.
“I was picturing a peaceful scene where I lie on a meadow and look up at the blue sky, where I imagine my mom is now … as I close the box, it feels like I’m with my mom again,” the 63-year-old retired translator said.
“Art has allowed me to express feelings that words cannot capture.”
Lau crafted the box as part of her expressive art therapy sessions at the HKCCCU Kwong Yum Care Home, where her mother had stayed before she died. According to Lau, the sessions taught her how to grieve and give voice to her feelings.
“When I lost my father 30 years ago, I was overwhelmed with work and childcare, I did not process what was happening inside … and felt a strong sense of regret,” she recalled. “But by mourning my mother this time, I have reconciled with those feelings … It was a relief for me.”
Vennus Ho Yuen-wai, superintendent of the HKCCCU Kwong Yum Care Home, has promoted expressive art therapy to help older residents and carers in bereavement, who often struggle to talk about their feelings.
Calling art “a vessel for the tears”, Ho said the therapy could help them identify and express complex feelings and reconnect with the departed by visualising memories.
Echoing Lam, Ho encouraged the public to refrain from rushing the bereaved out of their grief.
“This is a very personal experience, from contemplating the meaning of death, the relationship itself, to the way forward,” she said. “It’s great to simply keep them company, you don’t need to say too much.”
*The expressive arts therapy group is funded by Vera Ruttonjee Desai Charitable Fund
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