Disability in the arts has always been a subject in the shadows, with polite acknowledgements and appeasing ribbons given out every once in a while. Artists with disabilities therefore have to fight a little harder to get the appreciation they deserve. In History, some like Frida Kahlo and Claude Monet were the persistent and perseverant ones that stuck it out through the thick and the thin (despite being handed mostly the thins in life). Yet, few are aware that these famous personalities were visually impaired due to cataracts (in Monet’s case) and wore a body brace as a result of multiple bodily injuries (in Kahlo’s). Mental disorders are further brushed under carpets, and those struggling with psychological problems have a hard time being accepted into society; their art being appreciated is an even further cry.
Monet’s ‘Water Lilies,’ painted with a predominantly blue palette, like many of his later works, due to his cataracts.
Frida Kahlo’s ‘The Broken Column.’ One of her many self-portraits featuring her body brace.
We believe it is time to bring an end to this ignorance and so we introduce to you 8 artists, featured below, that transformed their troubles into something beautiful.
1. Armed to the Teeth
Michael Monaco is unique not only for his art pieces but also for the way he creates them. Having lost the use of his limbs in a car accident when he was 16 but not ready to give up his love for the fine arts, Monaco taught himself to paint with his mouth. He has since been featured in exhibitions the world over and is a member of The Foot and Mouth Painters Association. This was 35 years ago, and he’s still going strong as ever, painting his beautiful landscapes. The warmth and colour in his pieces stand out and reflect his optimistic spirit.
Images Courtesy- Michael Monaco
2. Ethnically Bold
This Pakistani artist plays with vibrant colours and attempts to accurately portray human emotions through her work. Muniba Mazari depicts ethnic jewellery and draws from cultural influences in her paintings that centre on people and the reality of their experiences. Having been made a paraplegic as a result of the road accident she met with while pursuing a degree in the fine arts, she has had her own brush with the experiences life doles out. However, she did not allow it to slow her down and feels that a mind holds more power to bind than a wheelchair does. She aspires to have her brand spread the message of strength and courage.
Images Courtesy- Muniba Mazari
3. Mind over Matter
Jody Xiong, famous for creating China’s “green pedestrian crossing,” recruited 16 specially abled people to quite literally paint what is coming from the mind. As seen in his stunning video, he hooks up a pair of headphones that transmit the brain’s electric signals to a detonator attached to balloons filled with the colour of the subject’s choice which explodes to create beautifully abstract paintings. In a captivating collaboration between man and machine, the variations in the results of Xiong’s work show how different thought patterns are.
He calls this ‘Mind Art’ and finds that it signifies the triumph of the human mind over the body- which cannot keep up with the brilliance within. Xiong splatters the inside of his subjects’ minds onto a large canvas to display the unlimited capacity of the spirit that can’t be chained down. He says:
It shows that the capacity of the human spirit is unlimited, even though it may be trapped within a disabled body.
Jody Xiong’s Green Pedestrian Crossing concept.
Images Courtesy- Jody Xiong
4. Big Cities
The London-born, West Indian savant draws huge panoramic landscapes of skylines around the world. Though several of his works have been spellbinding, Stephen Wiltshire‘s eighteen-foot depiction of the New York skyline, penned from memory after only a twenty minute helicopter ride, is his most famous and went viral on the internet a few years ago and gained him worldwide popularity. The artist, who was born with autism, draws to music from the ‘70s while penning his intricate pieces that take roughly a week. He has since captured Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London on gigantic canvases, and Tokyo has been his largest drawing, at over 52 feet.
Images Courtesy- The Daily Mail
5. Starting off on the Right Foot
Having no arms as a result of his mother being prescribed the drug thalidomide during her pregnancy, Peter Longstaff paints his artworks using just his feet. He trained himself to use his right foot dextrously and in addition to performing everyday tasks, he also used the new skill to rediscover an old passion–painting. It took him some getting used to but he discovered a movement called ‘Mouth and Foot Painting Artists’ and was quick to enlist in it as a student and drew support from there. Longstaff specialises in landscapes and festive-themed works.
Images Courtesy- Oddity Central
6. Tribal Tribute
Having been exposed to different cultures and lived in exotic places like Panama and Saudi Arabia where her father was stationed, Willow Bascom was fascinated with tribal art from a young age. This fascination grew stronger and she pursued her passion, despite being struck with lupus. She enjoys depicting unusual traditions and customs, and animal imagery in her paintings is strong. Her work can be viewed on her website where her influences from the world over can be seen.
Images Courtesy- Willow Bascom
7. Alice’s Wonders
The California-based artist is known mostly for her sculpting work in Italian marble, with complex, flowing figures. Alice Schonfeld is regarded as an inspirational figure for the disabled community, having impaired cognition due to multiple strokes. She has shown a tenacity to work through debilitating illnesses and has worked to promote awareness of disabled artists. Her work is represented on Treswatson.
Image Courtesy- Treswatson
8. Tactile Sight
This artist not only learned to paint after losing her sight but also wrote a book about it (and then three more!). Lisa Fittipaldi‘s ability to distinguish colours just by feeling the texture of the paint astounds her fans and her bright, spirited paintings have the power to transport the viewer into the world of Fittipaldi’s canvas. Her website details her struggles and achievements.
Images Courtesy- Lisa Fittipaldi
These artists have walked a path littered with obstacles, but didn’t allow any of them to hold them back. In the end, their art won and shone through the difficulties of their life. No hurdle is big enough to stop these eight inspirational people who battled it all in pursuit of what they love.
Amazing people like this, that keep going and never give up in the face of adversity, are motivational figures for us all. They force us to re-examine our attitude towards life and show us how vital it is to give yourself a chance.
