Through The Looking Glass by Melanie Jai

A mother shares her heartfelt journey into the chaos and confusion of autism in a new exhibition showing at Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery from August 2 until September 4, touring with Queensland Arts Council’s Exhibitions program.

Through the Looking Glass is Gladstone mother and artist Melanie Jai’s artistic endeavour to understand the inner world of her autistic son.

Ms Jai’s whimsical paintings inspire understanding, compassion and acceptance for those affected by mental health issues.

“Each artwork tackles a base emotion that we all experience at some time, the difference being that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) sufferers experience these strong emotions all the time,” Ms Jai said.

“This has become my inspiration, my vessel through which to feel what my son feels, to attempt to understand his world.”

Exhibitions manager Mia Kempel said that by focusing on child-like subjects such as Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, puppets and dolls, the works evoke an imagined adventure trail of Ms Jai’s son’s experiences.

“By using a highly stylised portraiture, Melanie connects with the fairytale land of villains and heroes that her son so often retreats to,” Ms Kempel said.

“The textural works engage viewers with words of honesty and wisdom to shine light on the strong emotions, chaos and confusion associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

“ASD sufferers access a different part of their brains than we do, making them process information differently,” Ms Jai said.

“They interpret communication differently. They interpret communication in a very black and white manner, making facial expressions, humour, colloquialisms, and slang, difficult to comprehend,” she said.

Queensland Arts Council’s Exhibitions bring quality visual arts into regional and remote areas, supporting Queensland artists and communities in celebrating their creativity and diversity.

This exhibition is presented by Queensland Arts Council and supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.

For more information on Through the Looking Glass or Queensland Arts Council Exhibitions visit www.qac.org.au