Where does interaction begin?
Our bodies open up to communicate and send messages, yet the interpretation is often lacking.
Initially, this wasn't planned as a series of paintings.
Upon graduating from the academy, I hated the arts. However, painting was the only language by which I could express my feelings. When I picked up painting again – three years after my daughter was born – it became very intimate. I wanted to relay the feelings I kept hidden and the experiences I went through after I had her and discovered her disorder.
My daughter, Maya, has Moebius syndrome – a pathology characterized by the absence of facial expressions and crossed eyes. While it impacts specific nerves in the brain, in most cases, as in the case of Maya, Moebius syndrome does not affect intelligence.
I have witnessed reactions of fear and misunderstanding of Maya's appearance.
Facial expression is our primary communication tool, while unique facial expressions can be misread for intellectual disability.
Individuals with special features become the target of mockery, bullying, and violence. Daily society forces such individuals into isolation, unwilling to see and interact with them.
Is communication innate to humans, or is it developed through empathy that is, in turn, learned through one's personal experiences? Our instincts and inner minds are integrated, entangled in one whirlpool – and they affect our behavior.
When the pandemic forced people to hide their faces under masks, their eyes became the sole reflection of emotions. As I picked up my daughter from daycare, I saw other children interact through their eyes as well. Although we were wearing masks, I would smile at an eight-month-old girl and she would smile back. We would see it in each other's eyes. My dream is for people to see one another without the prism of personal experience but with an uninhibited open mind like a child would.
