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Autograph is proud to be a part of the EXPLORERS Project, following our involvement in the first phase of the project in 2017 - 2020. EXPLORERS is dynamic collaborative programme of art and action that opens up routes into artistic practice for neurominorities, dismantling attitudinal and systemic barriers to representation and rights in art and society.
EXPLORERS is a national creative programme increasing the visibility and representation of neurodivergent artists in contemporary visual art. The project seeks to:
➡ Create platforms for neurodivergent artists
➡ Create pathways for cultural organisations to deepen their understanding and commit to inviting neurodivergent people and carers into their spaces
➡ Work towards changing the discourse of how neurodivergent artists are positioned and described in culture
EXPLORERS is led by Project Art Works, in conjunction with eight key partners: ActionSpace, Autograph, BALTIC, IntoArt, MK Gallery, Outside In, Photoworks and Venture Arts.
Autograph's work on the project directly addresses current barriers which affect disabled and neurodivergent artists. We are working directly with two practitioners to deliver three core activities: an artist residency; the production and publication of a monograph; a research commission. You can find out more about each of the three activities below.
Artist Thompson Hall was selected for the first on-site artist residency at Autograph, to support the development of his creative practice during the Covid-19 crisis. With support from ActionSpace, the residency took place 7 March - 31 May 2022 in Autograph’s building in Hackney, London.
Find out more
We supported photographer Dexter McLean to undertake an international research trip, returning to Jamaica where he was born and lived until the age of nine. McLean's long-term ambition is to create a collective portrait, documenting disabled communities in Jamaica, drawing on his own experience of living with cerebral palsy, to challenge historical representations of black and disabled communities.
Further updates coming soon.
We're proud to have published Thompson Hall's first monograph: Colour is My Signature. The hardcover book features more than thirty of the artist's works produced at his studio at ActionSpace and including the outcomes of his residency at Autograph. The works are printed alongside three contextualising essays by Mark Sealy, Sheryll Catto and Linsey Young.
We will be launching the book in May 2024. For updates, join Autograph's newsletter.
We provided Thompson Hall with access to Autograph's studio space for 3 months, during which time he made more than 20 new artworks
News about Thompson Hall's residency was featured in Hackney Life, delivered to more than 100k homes and businesses in our borough
We provided Thompson Hall with a supported studio environment and access to assistance and materials as well as a travel and research budget
We created an online gallery sharing the work of Thompson Hall with international digital audiences
We lit up Old Street with artworks by Thompson Hall for the duration of August 2022
We've published Thompson Hall's first monograph - to be released Spring 2024
We've supported the production of more the twenty new artworks
Sharing the work of Thompson Hall and Dexter McLean with audiences at Tate Liverpool and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
The artist revisits the community around Olympic Gardens, Jamaica where he spent his childhood
View galleryAn image gallery showcasing the works produced by the artist during his residency at Autograph
View galleryThompson Hall's works were on display on Autograph's building in London, May 2022 - January 2023
Find out moreThompson Hall's works lit up the digital canvas at Old Street roundabout for the duration of August 2022
Find out more Thompson Hall's residency was supported by ActionSpace as part of the EXPLORERS project. EXPLORERS is a national creative programme for increasing the visibility and representation of neurodivergent artists in contemporary visual art.
Banner image: Thompson Hall, ABP Autograph [detail], 2018 © and courtesy of ActionSpace
Images on page: 1) Photo of Thompson Hall © and courtesy of ActionSpace. 2) Copyright and courtesy Dexter McLean. Commissioned by Autograph, 2023. 3) Cover of Thompson Hall: Colour is My Signature, edited by Mark Sealy and Livvy Murdoch, published by Autograph 2024.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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