Talents of autistic artists on display at DLS-CSB
FEATURING splashes of rainbow colors depicting simple joys via simple things like running horses, pretty dolls, birds in trees, and vast fields, eight youths with autism show that art knows no age and disorder.
The artists — Jorel Alegre, Vico Cham, Julyan Harrison, Chico Joaquin, Samantha Kaspar, Karl Oliveros, Muneer Peña, and Daniel Sanchez — are from the Unilab Foundation, an organization with a holistic approach that teaches and employs persons with mental disabilities with the hope that they can find work and earn a living.
The artworks are on view at the SDA Gallery of De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (DLS-CSB) until July 29. Each painting served as an inspiration for CSB arts and design students who, in return, created fashion and furniture that can be turned into merchandise.
The essence of the exhibit is inclusivity. Called Autism, Art, and
Design, Catherine Deen, director of the Center for Inclusive Education at DLS-CSB, said that the paintings are “visually pleasing, but [ it] goes beyond this.”
Visually pleasing because each artwork “displayed an artistry that seemed to emanate from a pure source, innocently creative, courageous, free of rules, and with a focus that was relentless and razor sharp,” said Gerry Torres, exhibit curator and DSL-CSB director for Center for Campus Art, during the opening night on June 15.
But they go beyond pretty because they are done with a purpose. The exhibit aims to show that persons with disabilities can dream and make their dreams happen. More than that, the exhibit is meant to remind its audience that our society should be inclusive and not discriminatory.
“At the center of ‘inclusion’ is ‘u’ and ‘s’ or ‘us,’” said Grant Javier, profit manager of Unilab Foundation. He said the goal of the foundation is to guide and hire persons with impairments for their mental and financial empowerment.
Autism, Art, and Design is a collaborative presentation by Unilab Foundation and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. —