Exhibition offers insight into the lives of Taranaki children with disabilities

Cherie's painting, Nash: Dressing up with the big bro means pulling a staunch pose. Photo / Supplied

An exhibition is providing a glimpse into the lives of Taranaki children with disabilities.

Cherie Dodd's exhibition Part of your world is on display at Fenton Street Arts Collective. Cherie has painted numerous portraits on wooden boards, using oil paints and colourful tones.

"It gives the viewer an insight into the day-to-day lives of Taranaki children with disabilities and their families. It's also a plea to recognise the differently abled community in wider society."

Her exhibition is loosely inspired by The Little Mermaid song of the same name.

"My daughter has cerebral palsy and she really likes listening to Disney songs. The idea grew from there. I went on Facebook and shared my idea to see if other families would get on board. For my exhibition, I have worked with five Taranaki families."

The paintings capture the children as fun-loving and empathetic people, she says.

"The parents provided references photos. Part of the criteria was being able to have the faces fill a good portion of the board, in an attempt to grab the viewer's eye. In most cases, the main subject is in the foreground."

Cherie's paintings are labelled with the child's diagnosis information.

"It's purposefully in medical jargon so that it can be searched on the internet to take the plunge parents regularly have into a one-sided negative outlook on life. A very one-sided and overwhelming view, it gives a glimpse of the challenges that grind us down, but not the complexities, and also not how amazing it is to have our children in our life. The exhibition also features artwork by the children."

She says the aim of the exhibition is not political.

"It can't be helped that one of the layers has to do with politics. These include the fight for funding to access supports, therapies and surgeries, accessibility to the physical reality involving entries to buildings, toileting and showering, and the ability to join play. But also the emotional support and acceptance of people encountered."

The exhibition is partially funded by the Stratford District Creative Communities Fund.

"The funds helped me to buy the materials I needed to create the artworks."

■ The exhibition runs until October 22.