A show in Venice focuses on disability rights

VENICE – The theme of the 60th Venice Biennale, “Foreigners Everywhere,” includes a number of communities historically overlooked in art, such as people of queer, indigenous and immigrant backgrounds. Although disability appears in specific works of art, it is not present to a large extent. So I was happy to find out more Crip Arte Spazioan exhibition about the Disability Arts Movement (DAM), which started in Britain in the 1970s to advocate for the rights of disabled people, at CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo in Giudecca.

The entrance of Crip Arte Spazio declares it to be DAM’s first international exhibition, making it an exciting milestone for both art and disability rights. The title means “Crip Art Space,” and in many disability communities, “crip” is used as a reclaimed slur.

Importantly, Shape Arts, the show’s producing organization, is informed by the Social Model of Disability, which they explain on their site:

The social model states that a person is not “disabled” because of their disability, health status, or the way they may deviate from what is usually considered the medical “norm”; rather, it is the physical and attitudinal barriers in society – prejudice, lack of adjustments in access and systemic exclusion – that turn people off. To say that someone is ‘just different’ or ‘can be different’ ignores the fact that he or she faces these disabling barriers created by society, and implies that he or she does not experience discrimination, and that society does not need to change to become more approachable and approachable. inclusive.

This definition is essential to understanding the show, which generally reads more like an examination of society’s relationship with disability than an examination of disability itself.

An example of this is Jason Wilsher-Mills’ ‘I Am Argonaut’, a large fiberglass and acrylic sculpture of a human figure decorated with bright neon colors and bat ears. The designs on the body are asymmetrically aligned, with left and right having different features and patterns. As the exhibition text explains, the work is ‘a response to the fact that you first become disabled during adolescence’. Medical professionals believed he would die young from a blood disorder, and he suffered degrading and negligent treatment. The figure looks naked, vulnerable and abused.

I took a closer look at the work, which features written statements based on milestones in the artist’s life. The 1980 entry discusses the artist’s exposure to chickenpox: “I was paralyzed from the neck down. The battle raged within my body for five years… and continues to this day.” Another entry says: “When I was 13 years old I had to take an IQ test because all disabled children had to have one.”

‘Shaken Not Stirred’ by Tony Heaton OBE steps completely away from the body to look at the social context: a pyramid of red plastic donation cans. Some of them have a sticker that says “Disability Rights Now!” The original work was part of the 1990s Block Telethon protests organized by DAM, which opposed a culture of charity and pity towards people with disabilities. In the original installation, Heaton smashed the pyramid with a prosthetic leg, but in the current show the pyramid remains intact (for now).

Throughout the exhibition, graphic novel illustrations by Simon Roy guide viewers through some of the key themes in the show and important figures in the movement. At the entrance, for example, comedian and activist Barbara Liscicki holds a bazooka as she points out that DAM “fought barriers, changed the law, and made great art about their struggles!” In another scene, writer, producer and composer Debs Williams pushes a police officer away during a direct action in which activists chained themselves to buses: “It was an accessible society that eliminated us, not the criminal body.”

Venice itself serves as a living example of the social model of disability. By one estimate, more than 50% of Venice is accessible, but most of its famous bridges lack ramps and stair supports. But in 2021, the city began investing in accessibility improvements. As Heaton said in a CNN article, “If Venice can do it, anyone can. It just takes political will.”

And although the show is not officially part of the Biennale’s side events, its presence in Venice is already a statement. Crip Arte Spazio The event will take place on approximately the same dates as the Biennale, meaning international visitors to the city will be much more likely to view the art on display. The show can also be viewed online via a website with images of the works and audio descriptions (although strangely there aren’t many images for each piece).

These details emphasize the importance of a show like this: it is as much a record of history as it is an art exhibition. Power concedes nothing without a demand, and DAM’s tireless efforts deserve both recognition and celebration. The show itself, awash in color and light, is a testament to the decades-long efforts of disability rights advocates.

Tanya Raabe-Webber’s Who’s who series captures major disabled activists affiliated with DAM. The paintings show exaggerated facial features, while only some people have visible disabilities. And Raabe Webber’s ‘Self-Portrait Triptych’ shows the artist’s naked body, consisting of three separate paintings. “Webber’s body has all the same parts as a typical woman’s,” according to the exhibition text, “but perhaps combined in different ways.”

In ‘Abi Palmer Invents the Weather’, visitors peer at a video in a cardboard box. The video shows how the artist creates environments for her cats during the COVID lockdown so they can both experience the seasons. Palmer tells the cats’ perspective in a charming way. It’s a message that applies as much to a cat during COVID as it does to many navigating a world of possibility: “I felt safe in my den. No matter how strange and dark it gets in this deep, dense forest, others have gone before us…. I felt like I was being protected. It felt like you’re not alone.”

Crip Arte Spazio is hosted by David Hevey and produced by Shape Arts. The show can be seen until November 30, 2024 at CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo (211/B, 30133, Sestiere Dorsoduro, Guidecca, Venezia).

Related