“I’ve been yearning to bend for so long” is a painting that sits within a larger body of work that explores the relationship between autism and gender. Weaving together alien and non-human forms with traditional Irish iconography, I aim to playfully reveal how it feels to be othered in society.
This self portrait explores the idea that Gender is a "Stylised repetition of Acts” (Judith Butler) that must be performed to constitute a gender. For many neurotypicals this learned act comes naturally and unquestioned, but as an autistic person gender becomes learned as a means of survival. The patterns on the body show how these learned acts have left their mark on me.
I'VE BEEN YEARNING TO BEND FOR SO LONG
Acrylic paint on cardboard. 60 cm x 60 cm. (2021)
AS SEEN ON...
"The Lycett Arms"
Television show on Channel 4