Title
Creation Date
2019
Preview
![image preview](https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/bfa_exhibits_2019_spring/1033/preview.jpg)
Medium
digital print on playing cards, clear plastic easels, and wood shelves
Rights
© Kyla Relyssa Jackson, 2019. Photo Credit: Allison Corona.
Keywords
playing cards, mental illness, poker, mental health, digital painting
Artist Statement
This year I have begun to give mental illness a lot of thought. Something so impactful in people’s lives, yet no one talks about. I wanted to break the silence and allow people to openly start talking about mental illness again. Doing so I created a playable deck of cards with each card representing a different mental illness. These are in no way ranked by severity or by most common. They are simply a tool to begin the conversation of mental illness. I chose a deck of playing cards because in most games we hide our cards much like we hide our mental illnesses. It is a game of who can deceive who and will end up the winner. I think of it like who can best portray “normal”. The cards themselves portray each illness in a creepy yet cute way. Mental illness is by no means cute or creepy, but it is serious. I wanted my cards to be serious yet not too serious that you cannot openly start a conversation.