The curator of a major art gallery in Zimbabwe has travelled to the north-east to learn lessons from an Aberdeen-based charity that uses creativity and artwork to improve the lives of hospital patients.
Cliford Zulu, the curator of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in the city of Bulawayo – one of Aberdeen’s twin cities – is spending this week with the Grampian Hospitals Art Trust (GHAT).
During his stay, Mr Zulu will tour NHS Grampian sites to find out how the organisation uses art and design to make the patient experience more pleasant and less stressful.
His visit follows a tour of his home country by a team from GHAT last November.
The north-east creatives worked with local African artists to brighten up the dull and clinical hospitals of Bulawayo to improve the moods of both patients and staff.
Mr Zulu explained that by working together, the arts-in-healthcare projects of both cities will be able to benefit and grow.
He said: “Art is still a fairly unobtainable object for so many Zimbabweans, so putting it in the hospital setting helps to bring a whole new experience for people.
“And for doctors, nurses and patients, they also benefit because the artwork helps to improve the hospital feel, having artwork all around makes it feel a lot less clinical, it helps people to relax and gives them something to enjoy while they are staying in hospital.”