Taneal Barber
Project title: Exploring the impact of group art therapy on social isolation and support for adolescent and young adult cancer patients
Taneal is a contemporary abstract Artist and Mental Health Registered Nurse living in Brisbane. With a multidisciplinary practice that bridges clinical work and creative expression, she explores how art can act as a medium for healing, connection, and transformation. Her approach is shaped by years of frontline experience in mental health, alongside her current studies in the Master of Mental Health – Art Therapy. Taneal’s art practice offers both personal catharsis and a way to connect with others. She has exhibited work locally and internationally and is passionate about making art more accessible and meaningful for people of all backgrounds.
Taneal’s research focuses on the impact of group art therapy in helping young people with cancer feel more connected and less alone. This study explores how shared artmaking can foster peer connection, emotional processing, and a renewed sense of agency in young people facing significant life disruption during this formative stage. Through a four-week group art therapy intervention, Taneal’s work examines the ways in which creative expression, when shared in a supportive group environment, can act as a buffer against the isolation often experienced during cancer treatment and recovery, and how collaborative artmaking encourages peer connection, builds trust, and provides a safe outlet for emotional processing that may be difficult to access through words alone. By combining quantitative, qualitative and creative data, the project aims to deepen understanding of the therapeutic role of art and highlight its potential to enhance psychosocial care in oncology for this age group.
The works in this exhibition draw on themes of catharsis, emotional release, and escapism. The ocean, a recurring motif throughout the series symbolises stillness, safety, and inner refuge. Through these seascapes, Taneal captures her own search for calm amidst external pressures. She works with mixed media and textural materials, allowing a sense of spontaneity and intuitive flow to guide the process. This series is both deeply personal and relatable, speaking to the shared human experience of finding space, clarity, and self-expression in moments of overwhelm. The work reflects her belief in the healing nature of creative play, and its ability to support wellbeing - both in others and within herself.
Acrylic & impasto on a deep edged canvas
60 x 90 cm
Created at the beginning of my thesis journey, Dark & Stormy channels emotional turbulence into textured movement. Born from grief and creative block, its deep blues and metallic glimmers explore chaos, hope, and the transformative power of art into a cathartic release.
Gouache, house paint & oil paint on a deep edged canvas
60 x 90 cm
Evolving throughout my thesis, this piece moved from gouache to house paint to oils, embracing imperfection - wonky lines, raw edges, even my dog’s hair. What began as a metaphor for my research journey, transformed into a therapeutic reflection on illness, resilience, and the restorative power of creative expression for emotional processing.
Acrylic & impasto on a deep edged canvas
60 x 90 cm
Created while juggling ethics submissions and advocating for my research, Tides of Persistence became an escape from the academic chaos. Through painting and sculpting ocean waves, the repetitive, tactile motion brought regulation and release. Transforming stress into calm through a creative flow.
Acrylic & impasto on a round canvas
55cm
Painted after finally receiving ethics approval and beginning recruitment, Breakthrough captures the tension between achievement and self-doubt. As feelings of imposter syndrome and worry surfaced, I turned to the canvas using calm, fluid forms to restore balance and paint serenity amidst internal chaos.
Acrylic & impasto on a round canvas
55cm
Named after a Ball Park Music song that helped me process the heavy emotion following my groups, Alligator embodies the weight, attitude, beauty of shared struggle. Seven sculpted waves, unknowingly at the time matching my seven participants - symbolise each young person’s journey of turbulence, resilience, and now connection within a collective sea.
Acrylic & impasto on a round canvas
55cm
Featuring five waves for the five who attended my final session, and their intuitively shared colour palette. Sick Lads, named after the groupchat they later created, embodies the cohesion and friendships that emerged. The work reflects their enduring bond, later learning they have continued creating art together weekly as the “Sick Lads”.