Extraordinary Lives

Curators' Statement

In some ways Extraordinary Lives is nothing new. People with disabilities have always made art, and many of them have been very well known -- to choose one place and period, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, for example. But Extraordinary Lives is part of something new, a movement of artists with disabilities working together, with each other and in contrast to each other. ‘Disability arts’ is a new community, discovering what we have in common, where our voices intersect, how we speak. It is a heady experience -- ask anyone with a disability who was at KickstART in 2001. Where are we going? It is too early to be specific, but we are on the move.

Art exhibits are brought together by a theme -- a time, a place, a subject, a style. For Extraordinary Lives we tried to tap into some of the excitement around disability arts. We wanted to help discover what artists with disabilities have to say to each other and the world, as people with disabilities. What is it about our lives that comes out in our art?

Some of the artists in this show have been professional artists for a long time. Others are at an earlier stage of their career. All of them have made work that could help define the steps to a new 'disability' style. As we look to uncover common ground in disability culture, it is worth pointing out some of the spontaneous groupings that arise in this show.

Portraits.

There are many stories here, of self and others: Persimmon Blackbridge's and Bernadine Fox's biographical renderings; Adam Spiller's image of William Gibson; Julie Milano's paintings of her mother and of Britney Spears; Robert Jackson, Katherine Wood, and Dominic Fetherston's self-portraits.

Issues.

Rhonda Simmons' dominos target poverty, a reality for most people with disabilities; Dominic Fetherston plays a battle against the government; Rose Williams takes us on a journey of redemption through a dysfunctional healthcare system.

Feet and shoes.

From so many perspectives! Neville Grey affirms the beauty in the everyday; Margaret Van der Pant presents her legs without apology, in a context of flight and freedom; Bernadine Fox uses feet to see personal journeys; Bonnie Dalziel envisions herself as that most sublime of legless creatures, a mermaid.

Humour and games

Sometimes, play is the most serious answer -- dominos about poverty; cards about legal problems; Bill Beaulieu’s intense whimsy, and Jan Legault is just knitting her own Limbic System.

From the inside

Lynda Walker brings us the experience of a seizure; Donimo looks back at 22 years of chronic pain; Bruce Ray navigates a surreal world; A.J. Brown gives us a picture of the creative process at work.

From the outside

David Low confronts assumptions about psychiatric disabilities; Daniel Migneault sees ‘standing room’ from a wheelchair; Erin Brady Worsham exults in bringing ability to the fore in (dis)ability.

Of course, to belabour a truism, labels are for jars, these are only some o the possible relationships here. We see so many more, around pain, around vulnerability, and around delight and power and ordinariness.

Curating this show has been exciting - the profusion of fantastic submissions, meeting new artists, finding unexpected common threads, watching the creative process at work, and finally seeing all the pieces come together, front and centre, interacting with each other and with you, the audience.

This is not art about disability. It is art informed by disability every step of the way. Hang on to your hats, it’s quite a ride.

Emma Kivisild and Sima Elizabeth Shefrin
Co-curators
September 2004