Art show about challenging ableism

A joint exhibition between two disabled female creatives now on display at Mercure Ballarat is serving a dual purpose.

For artists Christine Segaert and Andrina Taylor, their Permission Granted show is about using artistic freedom to push back at the perception on what’s possible for people with disabilities.

“There’s 78 works of acrylic, oil and watercolour,” said Segaert. “We gave ourselves permission to paint whatever made ourselves happy.

“Being disabled in society is difficult to start with. There’s a lot of ableism and lack of acceptance for disabled people who are often minimised.

“We thought it was important to let people know even if it’s not at the forefront of their mind that we’re disabled artists, we own that, and to let people know disabled artists exist, are capable, and that it doesn’t limit us.”

Living with PTSD and mobility issues, Segaert began drawing and watercolour painting in 2021 after attending classes at the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House, where she now teaches watercolour herself.

Quartz Vein, Colourful Sea, and Whsipers in the Gale by Christine Segaert.

Segaert preceded Permission Granted with an exhibition at The Mercure late last year, Spectrum of Artistry, which included 17 creatives, including Taylor, one of her students.

It also served as the debut of her recently-created inclusive group, Ballarat Art Collective, supported with a City of Ballarat grant.

Segaert said the artistic freedom within Permission Granted extends to its subject matter.

“Andrina’s painted a lot of seascapes and landscapes in oil and acrylic,” she said.

“I’ve got a couple botanical works and whimsical pieces as part of my Nostalgia series like a chocolate freckle and an Iced VoVo which invoke memories of my childhood.

“We don’t use brushes when we use oils and acrylic; we use our fingers, because it’s such an organic process and it actually reminds me of fingerpainting.”