Will we in the future be able to visit art galleries featuring creatively gifted people with disabilities, alongside recognised artists? Will art become a factor that erases boundaries and prejudices and creates a new level of dialogue between people with disabilities and us?
The answer to both questions is – yes!
This comment was published by the RINGKJOBING newspaper at the opening of the “Insiders Project” exhibition, featuring art created by people with disabilities from across Ringkjobing County, at the Jens Nielsen Museum in the city of Holstebro, in February. For the first time, an exhibition of art by people with disabilities was held in a renowned museum!
Deputy County Governor Lise Jorgensen said at the opening of the exhibition: “The exhibition is an excellent example that one must not dismiss or disregard in advance the abilities and talent of a group of people who have suffered misfortune. Many of them have created something of which we, able-bodied people, can be proud!
The “Insiders Project” originated at the Skovbrynet cooperative for people with disabilities in the town of Skjern, Denmark, and from there expanded across the entire county. Over time, the exhibition was enriched with a variety of artistic works, primarily paintings by the students of Ruth Karotka, who set up a creative workshop in an old school building – Vandborg G I Skole. The artists’ experience varies greatly. Works by some of them have also seen the light of day in places such as London, Brussels, Taiwan and Brazil...
The exhibition can now be seen at the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre. It is the first major cultural exchange between Jelenia Góra County and Ringkjobing County (Denmark).