Labour - in both its visible and invisible forms - shapes how societies function. Mental health difficulties and disability often lead to exclusion not only from the labour market but also from the wider social fabric, revealing how strongly our place in society is tied to ideas of work and productivity. At the same time, care work - often unpaid, disproportionately carried out by women and hidden within the domestic sphere - remains undervalued, even though it is essential for sustaining life and function within society.

 

The theme of labour is relevant at both local and international scales. While the cultural sector in many countries faces reduced funding, increasing expectations are simultaneously placed upon it - from improving democratic processes to strengthening communities and public health (World Health Organization, 2019). Work within the sector is often poorly paid, while the complexity of cross-sector cultural work required to achieve such goals remains underrecognised.

 

Through artwork and an accompanying programme of film, performances, dialogues and workshops, the fourth Mental Health Arts Festival RYŠIAI will explore what it means to reckon with labour in all its currently invisible forms. What are the links between productivity, work and self-worth? What would inclusion mean if care work were properly valued? And what if living with disability in a world full of barriers were recognised as a form of work in itself?

 

The 2026 edition of RYŠIAI explores the relationship between labour and health, questioning it critically. RYŠIAI invites us to rethink labour not as a measure of human worth, but as a shared foundation for solidarity.