Meet The Hyangle, the San Diego art gallery dedicated to mental health
Artist Stephen Williams focuses his abstract paintings on mental health and wellness topics, and he opens his gallery to a variety of organizations and events that support San Diegans’ well-being.
Written by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp
Author’s Note: This story includes mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact 1-888-724-7240 (San Diego Access & Crisis Line), 1-800-843-5200 (California Youth Crisis Line) or call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Line).
San Diego artist Stephen Williams keeps a journal as he paints.
That's where the titles of many of his abstract pieces come from — “Burnout,” “Grounded,” “Enough,” “Rules of Masculinity” and “Everything is Fine.”
He said the practice of journaling, painting and breathing has helped him grow into a healthier version of himself, and he shares that practice with others through art therapy workshops. He also encourages health and wellness practices by offering his art gallery, The Hyangle, as a space for yoga, mental health groups and other events dedicated to wellness.
“I love the idea that that same space is also helping other businesses thrive and people are winning. And it's not always all about me and my art here,” Williams said. “It's a creative ecosystem that's just keeping everybody running.”
Located on 13th Street in East Village, The Hyangle is often bustling with the different businesses that use the space. On Tuesday evenings, Kush Yoga founder Marcelle Romero teaches cannabis yoga classes in the gallery.
Romero said that Williams is one of the most supportive business owners she has worked with.
“He really cares about uplifting people,” Romero said. “He really cares about opening the veil for people who need a platform, which is really beautiful. I love going into that space. It's always a really nice energy.”
She uses colored lights that cast dramatic effects on Williams’ paintings hung on the walls above the yoga practitioners. At the beginning of a recent class, she offered essential oils and tarot cards to her students before they began to move.
“Sometimes my yoga gets kind of categorized as just this fun thing to do like, ‘Let's go smoke weed and do yoga,’ but my intention behind it is ‘Let's stop and think about how things are making us feel and release things that no longer serve our higher purpose,’” Romero said. “I see a lot of those things in Stephen's artwork, which is really, really cool.”
Daylight San Diego
In June, Reneaja Norris hosted a wellness day party at The Hyangle called “Reset Room” that featured chiropractic and massage services, herbal mocktails and neosoul music. Norris and Williams are hoping to bring the event back to the space on a recurring basis in the future.
“I think what makes The Hyangle so special is that it feels like more than just a venue,” Norris said. “It's a space that genuinely welcomes community, creativity, wellness and collaboration. As someone who hosts community-centered wellness events, it can be difficult to find spaces that not only accommodate your vision but actually understand and support it.”
Norris said she also appreciates the diversity of people the gallery attracts, from small business to creatives to wellness practitioners to community organizers.
“That sense of community is probably what stands out most to me,” Norris said.
Williams, 37, said he went to school for photography and film but fell in love with the process of painting and the growth that it gave him.
He said he has learned a lot of important life lessons from the practice of working on a canvas, including accepting people as they are and not trying to force them to be different.
“I think there's a point while you're working on anything creative, you can take a step back and then you can just reflect on it,” Williams said. “And I think that's powerful to have that practice in your daily life.”
He said painting has also taught him restraint because he has seen what can happen if he overworks a canvas.
The art has also helped him process some of what he has learned in the past two years in therapy, he said.
“I did a series on boundaries, and I talked about boundaries because I found it really fascinating,” Williams said. “The things I was learning in therapy, I just felt like, I wish I learned this when I was 10 years old. And I just kept having that feeling like, fuck, like, why am I learning this now?”
The recent “Giants” exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego featured Williams as part of its effort to showcase local artists.
He said the exhibition of art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys was the boost that San Diego’s art scene needed.
“I've been here for over a decade doing art, doing farmers markets and shows and exhibitions, and I've never seen that kind of energy,” Williams said.
He hopes that the attention he received from that feature will open doors for him to exhibit his work in more spaces, but that hasn't changed his mission of healing through art both for himself and for others.
In addition to paintings that evoke mental health topics, Williams also teaches art therapy workshops that include the practices he uses himself — journaling, abstract painting and breathwork.
He has taught classes for all ages from children to older adults at senior centers.
Williams hopes that the workshops will reach people who are struggling and give them better tools to cope. He worries about people who hold in what they're going through rather than sharing or processing their negative emotions, something Williams said he was confronted with three years ago when his cousin committed suicide.
“I didn't know he was going through this, and I just felt so guilty,” Williams said.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, Williams will host a free art therapy workshop at The Hyangle to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day.
He is dedicating the class to his cousin.
