Christopher Tan

Project title: Online observation on the effect of Joint Painting Procedure on the paternal capacity to mentalize

I am Singaporean, ethnically Chinese and identify by he/him/his pronouns. In a country that prides the Sciences over the Arts, my experience in art making was limited to what I have learnt from Kindergarten. Due to this limited exposure, my previous relationship with art was cold and distant. Perhaps the universe has its own way of presenting me with a second chance with art when I pursued a postgraduate diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy. Although we were exposed to the various forms of expressive arts, I found my centre resonating deeply in visual art making. It is through this form of expression that I can communicate authentically with my inner self for healing and growth. This was the spark that started the blazing fire in my heart to pursue a deeper relationship with art.

Coming from a psychoanalytic background with Jungian influence, my artwork embeds various symbolic representations using nature and familiar objects to express deeply my inner thoughts and feelings. My favourite subjects/themes are plants and creatures found in nature – fish, snail, butterfly, flower, plant/tree, perhaps representing my inner longing to connect with nature.

My research focuses on the father’s capacity to mentalize on his child in the context of their dyadic relationship. My curiosity about the paternal figure as a parent stems from research frequently reporting that mothers have closer relationships to their children than fathers. Reflecting on my own upbringing, it was truly the case. Perhaps because I had always wanted to have a deeper relationship with my father, I developed the affinity towards finding ways to support fathers in their journey towards fostering closer relationships with their child. One such approach would be to develop the paternal capacity to mentalize. In my research, I used a dyadic art intervention technique to investigate the mentalization capacity of a father towards his daughter by observing both making art together.

My artworks representing my research journey comprise of six pieces. Each piece uses the theme of nature or object to express my thoughts, feelings, and mood during the different stages of my research work. The pieces depict in sequence the brainstorming, literature review, main title, obstacles, amendments, and final delivery stages of my thesis journey. Creating these pieces validated my triumphs and struggles when words alone aren’t enough. Looking back at these pieces affirms my creativity, reflexivity, diligence, perseverance, and tenacity. These character traits are necessary in shaping my identity as a professional art therapist.