Canberra Health Services curator Dr Jenny McFarlane on artwork by artist Jodie Cunningham at Centenary Women and Children's Hospital

They are, as Jenny McFarlane says, "sterile".

"But of course, in a hospital, what you're after is sterile," she laughed.

Which is ironic because in her unique role as Canberra Health Services' art curator, Dr McFarlane's mission is to introduce culture - the good kind - to Canberra's public hospitals.

"Being in hospital is not just a physical experience, it's an emotional experience," Dr McFarlane said.

Canberra visual artist Jodie Cunningham brought colour to the adolescent mental health day program unit at Centenary Women and Children's Hospital.

"Colour talks to you, and sends a message to you on a subconscious level that does actually change the way you feel," she said.

"It feels like it's meaningful, that I'm actually making a difference in my creative journey in other people's lives [and] that's amazing."

The artist's vibrant voice dominates the space, Dr McFarlane said.

"When people come in, they don't see the standardised architecture and infrastructure," she said.

A hospital is no art gallery, so developing the pieces within it presented unique challenges, Dr McFarlane said.

"The hospital is an upside-down place for arts," she said.

The materials must withstand being wiped down with dilute bleach and take up large spaces without being overwhelming.

Ms Cunningham developed the art through consultations with former teenage mental health patients.

The series spreads across walls and glass.

In addition to the bright colours, there is symbolism in the Canberra wildflowers, which popped up after long La Nina rains.

"That symbol of change, and the beautiful jewels you find in the brown grass in the bush of Canberra, actually is all around us, particularly as Canberra wildflowers, often they're tiny," Ms Cunningham said.

"[The teenagers did not want] to be told to cheer up, but actually to acknowledge that life is full of the challenges, as well as the beautiful benefits."

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Unlike an art gallery, where the average person will look at a piece for 19 seconds, the hospital work is immersive, consumed over days or weeks, Dr McFarlane said.

That was what made the commission so exciting, Ms Cunningham said.

"People are going to spend time with it, and hopefully it's going to help. It's going to bring joy, or hope," she said.

The series is one of many pieces included in the Canberra Hospital expansion.

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