Painting in Light - Disability Movement shaped by Disability Slogans and political insights
The work conveys stories, messages and insights into disabled people’s struggles in a world where society still excludes us from the mainstream. Disabled people still exist ‘on the edges’ and have to fight for equity. These neon signs convey a snapshot of disability history in a simple format with a powerful message.
A series of 9 by Zoe Partington. Supported by Barbara Lisicki. Photography by Thomas Horton.
Zoe’s work is rooted in the transformative time of the British disability movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when tens of thousands of disabled people and allies campaigned for civil rights. The neon slogans are direct references to the campaign, and their vivid illumination reflects both the shock and joy of a people breaking out of charitable victimhood and passivity. Bright and defiant, they are a reminder of the importance of remembering the slogans and phrases that have cohered disabled people.
Zoe is a Disabled Artists who has spent 30 years campaigning for disability rights after meeting Barbara Lisicki and working alongside her from the late 90’s. This exhibition is a joint dialogue between 2 disabled artists and professionals who have a lifetime of experience of living in a non-disabled world. Zoe has a chronic condition and is partially blind. She has a wicked sense of humour and is quite diverse in her approach to disabilty arts. She mentors and trains cultural organisations and mentors disabled artists. This exhibition celebrates the achievements and diversity of disability arts while acknowledging the hard-won battles that have started changes in the inclusive arts sector of today.
Disability Arts creates work that counteracts misunderstandings, misconceptions, stereotypes and negative narratives surrounding the lives of disabled people. Its strength is that it is created by disabled and Deaf people, artists and creatives.
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