Zoe says;

“Leading the Creative Practice as a Curator with the Artists on this Exhibition has been a privilege, as the theme suggested particularly during covid, that ‘Fragile with Attitude’ was my intention to bring together our delicate eco-system and balance of equity, with the misinformed perception, through the lens of the media and our Government, ‘That disabled people are labelled often as ‘fragile and vulnerable'. 

 

It seemed to me this needed to be challenged as like our fragile planet, Disabled People are often not given the nutrients and equality framework’s to be equal to others and therefore segregated, pitied, or not valued. Often our places of sanctuary greenspaces exclude disabled people due to entrance fees being expensive, lack of accessible paths, cafes, toilets, decent public transport to greenspaces and parking.

 

In an ableist world, Disabled People are often overlooked or marginalised into certain categories that can be disempowering.

 

During the last year I’ve been immersing myself in landscapes to try and feel refreshed. It’s been a bit of trial and error as being partially blind I’m interested in abstract views and balancing colours and how I experience my surroundings. I paint outside to gain the best light as my colour receptors are off key! I also love to use random flora and fauna I find in the landscape to create a textured effect which gives more depth. These paintings have been a breath of fresh air to produce. The many walks and tours we undertook during the workshops, with the Volunteer Guides and Disabled Artists created a catalyst to continue painting, something I had put to one side over 25 years ago when I first lost my sight. I hope you enjoy the abstracts.”

 

Zoe Partington - Fellow of the RSA.