A*tists – Exhibition summarising the series of meetings of women and girls on the spectrum [PL+PJM+UA+EN]

Who are a*tists? Are they artists? Beings of great sensitivity that they hide deep inside? Or ordinary autistic girls? Do their (super)powers come from the stars? What kind of powers are they? On the one hand – creative, imaginative, and on the other – needed in everyday life. Some of their qualities seem quite remarkable, such as skyrocketing perseverance (useful for pursuing passions, often tedious and time-consuming), the ability to memorise a vast database of information, to create their own sign systems, and a limber mind.

Opening:
When: 01/12/2023 (Friday), 7:00 p.m.
Where: Galeria Labirynt, ul. ks. J. Popiełuszki 5, Lublin
Accessibility: Sensory-friendly exhibition. Mute earmuffs and a wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge from the bookshop. Quiet hours at the exhibition apply on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Exhibition on the ground floor. The exhibition hall is accessed by a 13-degree sloping ramp and a 138 cm wide double door. The doors open outwards. Usually only the left wing of the door is open. The gallery has 6 portable induction loops. vernissage interpreted into Polish sign language, interpretation: Ewelina Lachowska. Opening interpreted into Ukrainian, interpretation: Volodymyr Dyshlevuk. Opening translated into English, interpretation: Krystian Kaminski.
Exhibition on display: until 18/02/2024. (Tue.–Sun, 12:00–7:00 p.m.)
Admission: free

In contrast, some of their behaviours – such as engaging with people, looking others in the eye, navigating emotions and unwritten rules – are seemingly nothing. But as for girls and women on the spectrum, they are often tricks developed over years, a camouflage by which they blend into the surrounding neurotypical world. And while it may seem to cost them nothing, fitting into the world requires unimaginable effort. So perhaps sometimes it is not worth it to make the world more diverse, and therefore more interesting.

The exhibition presents mostly new works, created for the present project. Some of them have been pulled out of drawers and home archives. All the works are accompanied by texts in which each of the participants of the exhibition reveals a little of the secret about what it is like to be an a*tist.

A*tists: Anna Bigos, Nina Bułtowicz, Paulina Garbiec, Kamilla Jabłońska, Dorota Mościbrodzka, Magdalena Szubielska
Curators: Agata Sztorc-Gromaszek, Magdalena Szubielska

Exhibition organised as part of the scholarship of the Mayor of the City of Lublin.