Over the years, I have seen many shows of “outsider” or self-taught art from galleries in which autistic artists are usually denied a sense of agency in their own narratives — a characterization that is dehumanizing and, as a neurodivergent critic and curator, personally hurtful. So when Brooklyn micro-gallery Haul Gallery described artist Mike Hack as “a man with autism” in the opening lines of the exhibition announcement, I prepared for the worst. Instead, what I encountered was the rare show that prioritized Hack’s agency as both an artist and an autistic person.

Mike Hack and Haul Gallery’s proprietor, Max Lee, met in the early 2000s, when Hack reconnected with Lee’s mother, Jenny, who was Hack’s music therapist as a child. Hack sent Jenny VHS copies of videos and other ephemera he had made over the years, which caught the eye of the young Max. Now, Max Lee represents Hack at the gallery and maintains a digital archive of his work, some of which is currently on display at Haul.

Η συνέχεια εδώ.