The Visual Voice of Autism
July 28 - September 11, 2022 📍Atrium Gallery
ARTIST: Harrison Halker Heinks
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, August 18, 6:00-8:00 pm
The reception is free and open to the public.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Minnesota artist Harrison Halker Heinks examines reflective surfaces in his photography. By capturing multiple planes with one image, Heinks builds an experience where viewers can simultaneously look through, at, and in front of the subject. Uniting a single image from several layers evokes emotion with Heinks who intends to express how it feels to live with autism. “In my artwork, the things behind the reflection are my representation of the ordinary world; I live in the glass, being caught in another plane that runs parallel to the world in which everyone else lives.” By including self-portraits in some of his work, Heinks is motivated “to show how I sometimes see myself as in between reality and being overlooked by society.” Through his work, his voice emerges: “There is more to people with disabilities than what is on the surface.” In several underwater shots, Heinks takes this sentiment literally, diving beneath the surface to photograph both himself and others. According to Heinks, the results represent “seeing the world through a distorted and out of focus lens.” Ultimately, The Visual Voice of Autism connects to neurotypical viewers by creating an understanding of what it feels like to be living with autism.
A video about the project can be found here.
“Best Bet” - Minnesota Monthly
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Harrison Halker Heinks is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist who happens to have autism. His list of accolades includes multiple MN State Fair Blue Ribbons, a two-time National Scholastic Gold Medal Winner, and a VSA Emerging Young Artists grant recipient from the Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program and the Jerome Foundation.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I have autism and I see the world very differently than most. I notice the smallest details that most people ignore and people tend to ignore me because I have a disability. One way I see myself existing in this world is by capturing my reflection in everyday scenarios. I insert myself subtly yet deliberately in my images through shadow and reflection. Because my autism can be a barrier for me to relate to the “normal” world, when I capture my reflection in a window, the glass acts as a barrier to whatever is behind the window. In my artwork, the things behind the reflection are my representation of the ordinary world; I live in the glass, being caught in another plane that runs parallel to the world in which everyone else lives. By capturing my image in this “in-between” state, I’m reinventing myself in a way that the outside world cannot ignore me anymore. By looking at my work, I am present in their world. Being present is what motivates me to create.
“Photography captures not just the moment but the raw emotion that emanates from it.”
— Harrison Halker Heinks
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.