Works by Tom Coomber, Article by Ruth Coomber.
All neurotypes are equally able to create art and enjoy it in one way or another, but, because of the way in which the art world is set up, there is an expectation that artists should be able to talk about their work in a particular way. This expectation disadvantages neurodiverse artists, who may then have to rely solely upon their work to communicate the essence of it, without necessarily being able to give it a title or description, or to put their ideas into words and explain how they are responding to the world around them.
For example, Tom Coomber, a neurodiverse artist living in Suffolk, communicates his experience of the world around him as a neurodiverse person, with paintings using vivid colours and quirky views of otherwise familiar scenes, picking out aspects that many of the neurotypical population miss. People with a larger number of nerve endings and synapses than the general population may experience the world as I experience a rollercoaster ride – an overwhelming assault on the senses.
Attempting to reach out to galleries and to access programmes of study, which rely as much as the participant’s ability to write essays as it does on their ability to experiment with different materials and respond creatively to themes, ideas and the world around us, can be extremely frustrating for these artists. We may not realise it when we first look at Tom’s work, but he is communicating with us about how he experiences the world, what he finds beautiful, strange, vivid, quirky, shadows that he sees in a way that no one else can.
It can also impact an artist’s ability to apply for funding, but the Arts Council does have a scheme which can provide help for this and other aspects of running the business side of being an artist, as well as the Access to Work Scheme which can be very helpful.
Copyedits made by the Editor.
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