21/02/2022
Inspiring Change in Perception
Yajim Amadu
Styrofoam, wood and found metal objects
I lived in a community in northern Ghana where great merrymaking accompanies the birth of a child. In the case of children born with a disability or deformities, they are sometimes killed by a village concoction of poison. This is an ancient custom which brands a child born with disabilities a “spirit child.”
This work seeks to change perceptions about disability and engages with ideas about perception, discovery, and narrative. The work was created from my desire to change the perception we inhabit about disability. Realizing the ability of disabled people can reform our spiritual weaknesses, change our lives as viewers, and the world. The images depict how differently abled we are and this can make viewer walk away wiser and more discerning rather than looking at what the disabled person could not do. This project looks at how our perceptions are actually more disabling for the person than his condition. The work incorporates a mechanical and an electrical element to create movement that interacts with viewers and to create a visual tension, contemporary understanding, and perception about disability. At the edge of our vision, as we move around, the work interacts with us as we begin to reflect on our perspectives about disability at the back of our minds. The movement of imagery shapes our observation of humanity and feeling about the art. The light (levity, lightness, joy) of the action of the works changes our perception about disability through our selves–a reflection of the objects defying all odds and making living possible.
Yajim Amadu currently lives in Dublin, Ohio.
