Artist Statement

The world was made by the abled for the abled, and as someone with autism, I find this frustrating. Things like loud crowds, perfume, sticky handles, and fingerprints bother me more than others and are everywhere. Navigating a world filled with them can be difficult and stressful. I’ve tried countless ways while growing up to try and ignore or evade them but after a while, I realized evasion doesn’t really work. Through research, I found that I can understand my disabilities and disorders and become confident in my discomfort rather than avoid it. Research has become an important part of my process, helping me bring physicality to my struggles and discomforts through paintings, sculptures, metal, and ceramics. I consider unusual textures, colours, and even tastes, amplifying them so that others experience sensory sensitivity in a way that’s similar to mine. In the piece “Icky,” I amplify the struggles of sensory sensitivity at meal times and around food. My piece “Open Your Ears” symbolically demonstrates how it can feel to have hearing sensitivity: loud sounds and difficulty focusing on just one. Through experiencing and interacting with my art, I hope that you gain insight into my life as disabled and “disordered,” using that insight to become more open-minded and help make the world more accessible.