Art, Complexity, and Critique

Supporting Organisation(s):
World Health Organisation, NYU Steinhardt, Community Jameel, Culturunners
Chair/Other Speakers:
Dr. Nisha Sajnani, Dr. Nils Fietje, Cyra Levenson, Miriam Sabin, Christopher Bailey, Stephen Stapleton, and 27 researchers, artists, and curators

The launch is part of UNGA Healing Arts Week, by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, a New York City-wide celebration of the role of the arts in health, held alongside the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, supported by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and The Music Man Foundation.

The launch of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab–Lancet Global Series on the Health Benefits of the Arts at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, held during UNGA Healing Arts Week 2025, represented a landmark intersection of global health policy and creative practice.

Co-hosted by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and NYU Steinhardt, the event featured the presentation "Art, Complexity, and Critique" by artist and professor David Cotterrell. Cotterrell’s contribution 'SightLines' work, part of a larger photo essay published in The Lancet, challenged the simplified narratives of art as a functional "cure," drawing on his research with CULTURUNNERS and his experiences in conflict zones to highlight the "empathetic dissonance" and ethical complexities inherent in using art to address trauma. 

The evening, supported by Community Jameel, combined rigorous scientific advocacy with live performances and visual storytelling to establish a new, critical framework for how the arts can meaningfully impact global health outcomes.