Despite living with autism and epilepsy, Yaniv Janson has turned his passion for art into a career. Photo / Supplied
Despite living with autism and epilepsy, Yaniv Janson has turned his passion for art into a career. Photo / Supplied
Internationally recognised Raglan-based artist Yaniv Janson is bringing his Abstract Acrylics exhibition to Rotorua this weekend.
The neurodiverse artist is also hosting a free Community Canvas workshop, where locals can help paint a giant collaborative artwork. Once complete, the piece would tour schools and community spaces.
Janson, who hasautism and epilepsy, communicates in unique ways, often letting his sensory-driven art speak for him.
He first decided to become an artist as a teenager after watching a breakfast news segment showing creatives working however they pleased and making a living from it.
“They’re going to do it, I’m going to do it,” he remembered thinking.
Janson’s support person, Katie Lowes, said his achievements were “inspirational to the communities he represents”.
His career had been built on vibrant works exploring themes such as inequality, sustainability and climate change, with exhibitions as far afield as Paris and Montenegro.
In 2017, his interactive Please Do Touch exhibition challenged the traditional “look, don’t touch” rule of art galleries, inviting people to engage directly with his pieces as part of a collaboration supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Raglan artist Yaniv Janson with his "Please Do Touch, Life Below Water Dyptych 1". Photos / Supplied
Janson also had his own colouring books and runs Colour Me Happy workshops, where people could come together to create and relax with pencils, pens and paint.
The workshops reflected principles researched by Janson’s mother and sister, both psychologists, where the therapeutic power of art was used to break down barriers, foster social inclusion and encourage creativity in an open, label-free space where everyone’s contribution was valued.
The upcoming Rotorua Community Canvas would build on this philosophy, inspired by Lowes’ visit to London’s Tate Modern last year, where she saw artist Oscar Murillo invite the public to contribute to large evolving canvases known as The Flooded Garden.
Lowes said when she saw it she “immediately thought of Yaniv”, reminding her of Janson’s “welcoming method of breaking down the conventions of typical art experiences”.
Janson’s Community Canvas event in Rotorua would build on these participatory art workshops and projects.
While Rotorua might not have a Turbine Hall like at Tate Modern, Janson hoped to create that same sense of inclusivity and creativity here.
His Abstract Acrylics exhibition would feature nine large, circular acrylic works, designed to immerse rather than simply be observed.
Janson was “always thinking about creating something”, Lowes said.
He was excited to exhibit in Rotorua for the first time and to offer locals “something new”, she said.
Abstract Acrylics exhibition opening August 15, 5.30pm-7.30pm, The Wallis Gallery, The Arts Village.
Community Canvas workshop August 16, 11.30am-1.30pm, Studio 2, The Arts Village.
Free entry, all welcome.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
