Jorge Wright, Head Within, 2022
Corten Steel, 5000 x 3300 x 506mm.
Drawing inspiration from its surroundings, Head Within hopes to prompt a conversation on mental health in Aotearoa among visitors to the 2022 sculpture trail. A headland is made a headland by its exposure to the unforgiving elements of the ocean, against which the land must constantly form and reform itself to remain stable. Though as porous and volatile as any coastline, the threshold between the human mind and the outside world is not so visible and can be much harder to navigate.
On one level, the Russian-doll effect of Jorge Wright’s sculpture conveys the feelings of confusion and self-estrangement that often accompany mental health struggles. Nestled into one another but facing different directions, they conjure the sense of the mind turned against itself with doubt and insecurity. However, the openness of the figure encourages those struggling to ask for help: by being transparent and allowing others to enter our inner world, we can also let some light back in.
“I want to remind those going through dark times that there are brighter days ahead,” Wright says, “take a moment to reflect; there is beauty inside everyone; you just have to Head Within.”
