Flare-Up at Goldsmiths CCA
In 2022, I wrote my postgraduate thesis on the visual culture of 'happiness', and how it functions and thrives in an inherently ableist world. As part of this research, I looked at artists working with illness and disability, and how they are instantly 'Othered', with an assumption that their work is not for a general audience. Under late-stage capitalist, neoliberal conditions, illness and disability still have to be seen to be mired in struggle and agony in order to be validated. Then last year, during my residency with Painting Diary in Vienna, I visited the fantastic Mumok to see Park McArthur’s solo exhibition, ‘Contact M’, featuring many examples of a new ‘ready-made’ artwork, composed of paraphernalia from McArthur’s experience of disability. The body of work utilised wheelchair ramps, pyjamas, and even printed email correspondence between artist and curator regarding the artist’s accessibility needs. The experience of this exhibition felt like almost a second w...
