To support Mental Health Week, ABC is going Mental As...
Show your support - donate to mental health research

High profile artists, including four Archibald winners, have joined forces with the ABC and are donating artworks to be auctioned online to help raise funds to boost mental health research in Australia. The artists participating are Ben Quilty, Daniel Boyd, Del Kathryn Barton, Euan Macleod, Fiona Lowry, Leah Fraser, Reg Mombassa, Richard Bell, Robert Malherbe and Tim Sharp.

Their pieces, each exploring themes of mental illness, will be available for sale via an online auction concluding on Sunday October 12.

Katrina Sedgwick, ABC Head of Arts said, "The arts have always played a vital part in illuminating issues around mental health – both through representation and through the cathartic process of making or engaging with art. Artists are unique in their ability to creatively challenge norms, to ask hard questions and to illustrate and explore truths our mainstream society would rather ignore. We are really delighted that these wonderful artists have engaged so deeply with ABC Mental As... and our awareness raising campaign."

The artworks will be on display to the public in the ABC's Ultimo foyer from Monday September 29 to October 10.

You can view the artists work now and register your interest to bid at abc.net.au/mentalas. Bidding goes LIVE on Thursday October 2.

The ABC Mental As... Art Auction culminates in a two- hour, live TV fundraising event, Friday Night Crack Up, screening at 7.30pm on October 10, which will see Australia's biggest personalities - comedians, actors, sportspeople, and musicians – come together to show their support for Mental As... and encourage Australians to take action, start talking, and give to mental health research.

Click here to read more about ABC Mental as... and donate

Click here to do view the gallery of artworks for auction (bidding goes LIVE Thursday October 2)

IMAGE: Bleeding Shed, Stanmore Bay, 2014 (Reg Mombassa)