Emotions in Focus is an exhibition of art, submitted from sources throughout the world and judged by Victor Misgauge, David McLagan and Rita Donagh. At first sight, the work is not dissimilar to that in many other exhibitions, except in its diversity and we hope that you will appreciate its quality and profit from seeing, touching, listening to and comprehending it.
The artists themselves may seem to have little in common, other than being artists (which is not always an easy link in itself); and this makes an important statement: for they are unfairly linked together by society because they share disadvantages. More than linked, they are lumped together as a sociological group, with restricted rights, as if they are lucky to be allowed to survive. They are the disabled people. They come from all races, creeds, societies and have widely varying tastes. They were either born or they became disabled. They are you and me, now or sometime, sooner or later.
Our disabled artists offer their work for this exhibition as a celebration of this year, the International Year of Disabled People, 1981. The aims of this year are:-
We hope that this exhibition will help you to understand better the personal problems and private feelings of people who have disabilities, and gain a more positive attitude. Almost all art is fired by some emotional spark, and it is refined by a critical, professional and unswerving devotion to that spark.
Human emotion is universal, only experience is different. The disabled person certainly experiences some challenges, especially in his or her intimate life. This art will expose you to some personal triumphs over certain challenges, but it will also hint at some despair.
May we ask that you share and honour the triumphs and be comforted that despair can be swiftly lifted by new experience. After all, some of the best art has been created in the darkest moments. Many people are still afraid, or prefer not to think about unattractive, broken or ill-functioning bodies as belonging to human beings at all, let alone feeling, sexual beings. The intention of this exhibition is not to shock or encourage emotional voyeurism, but to open the minds of the frightened and thoughtless members of society, to show gently and profoundly that people who are physically or socially handicapped can also be sensuous, loving, beautiful, erotically inventive, sexually ingenious, dirty-minded, love-sick, heart-broken, affectionate, virile and voluptuous. The have a right to be, and can be so without threatening other people's sensibilities. There is nothing to be frightened of.
"Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks are born with trauma. They've already passed it. They're the aristocrats." - Diane Arbus
Each of us has, to some extent, come to terms with our bodies as they are: vanity does not allow us to consider the thought of having our bodies numbed, maimed or sensorally cut off. We find it very difficult to consider altering our erotic potential. Let's hope that this exhibition will lessen fear and demonstrate that there is always erotic and emotional joy to be found, so long as the frightened don't condemn.