Artist Profile: Alice Banfield
Silly, fluid characters to challenge myths and stereotypes about autism
By ARTXV
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Alice Banfield
I am an artist based in Cardiff, Wales. I mainly paint and draw.
I tend to draw...
silly, fluid autistic characters surviving in environments I consider overwhelming (socially, sensory etc).
Drawing helps me find the freedom to experiment before I begin to transfer it onto paintings.
My daily ritual in the studio...
is to create small, quick drawings to begin with to allow me enough time to prepare for painting.
Eyechne and Cloak of Shadow Eyes (2021) by Alice BanfieldARTXV
I began narrating my experiences as an autistic person...
in my work after engaging in multiple online debates about vaccines and autism.
The language used during these discussions portrayed autism as a disease that needs to be treated with pseudo-medicine.
In my current narrative, I'm exploring...
the relationship with emotional labour, masking and eye contact; I perceive eye contact as this sort of demanding rash that drains the characters in my work to express its power and fear.
Untitled by Alice BanfieldARTXV
My empathetic nature...
impacts the sensitivity in my work. I want to express that I am human and that we deserve respect and care.
In the future...
I hope to expand my narrative with other neurodiverse creatives because I feel there is very little conversation for disabled artists to be present in the arts, and I feel each perspective is different but valuable to improve and accommodate.
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