Bodhi, pictured above, is six years old, Mika in her late 30s. Both live in the Macarthur region.
Bodhi and Mika both live and thrive with autism. The pair are also stand outs at this year’s Solace Creative Therapies art exhibition which opens this Saturday at Narellan Library.
Abigail Ristevski, team leader and creative art therapist at the Gregory Hills based Solace Creative Therapies, says Bodhi worked on his collections of characters for months.
“Bodhi attends the children’s after school group every week during the school terms and loves to create art,’’ she says.
His artwork is placed at the entrance of the month long exhibition.
“Mika has participated in all our group exhibitions, and this year she has produced a series of gilded artworks,’’ says Ms Ristevski.
Mika even prepared a creative statement as an attachment to her art entry, pictured below. It says:
“Throughout centuries, continents and cultures, friends gathering together to share tea is a cherished ritual; symbolic of friendship, social connection, and hospitality. In modern culture, truthful conversation between friends is often referred to as spilling the Tea.
“By bringing together ancient tradition and contemporary expression, this artwork celebrates the value of people in our lives who provide refreshing flavour and nourishment.
“The bright colours and geometric background represent the essence of harmony; while the reflective surface of the teapot and cup encourages consideration of relationships between people. The gold tea highlights the importance of connection through meaningful communication.’’
The 2026 Solace Creative Therapies exhibition will be huge, with no fewer than 75 exhibitors.
“This year we are presenting more than 100 artworks from artist of all ages,’’ says Ms Ristevski.
“We are so proud of what we have achieved in only four years since our first exhibition.’’
The 2026 exhibition will be on throughout October, which is Mental health Awareness month.
A puppet show and music and art activities will be part of the opening this Saturday, October 10, from 10am.
All welcome to attend.
