Unbound creativity celebrated at Parliament

Following a successful inaugural event in Bendigo in February, the Unbound exhibition of more than seventy art pieces from artists across the state were brought to Melbourne for display during the latest parliamentary sitting week.  

For artist and exhibit winner Paul Buckhorn, this is the first time his artwork has been recognised publicly after more than forty years of making art.  

He said it was 'surreal' to have his artwork included in the Unbound art exhibition.  

Mr Buckhorn was joined by his sister Trish, who said she couldn’t be prouder of him and all the exhibitors involved.  

'He has worked so hard over so many years to be recognised,' she said.  

'The standard of work in this exhibition is just amazing and has completely blown me away.'

Unbound founder Tamara Reinisch said the exhibition was about showcasing talent and shattering bias around disability.  

'Art of people with disability has often been kept in a bubble and not always taken seriously,' she said.  

'The sector is siloed and disconnected from the mainstream creative industries, which further reduces opportunities for artists. 

'This exhibition is about shifting the dial and showing the community that art and creativity is a legitimate expression of people with disability.'  

Ms Reinisch said the exhibition had given others with disability the confidence to create.  

'People have been recognised for the first time, have won awards publicly and have stood up alongside their peers in the industry,' she said. 

'Being able to showcase how people express themselves - express their disability, lived experience and identity through their artwork - is just so meaningful and is something that has really resonated with the community.'

Artist and Bendigo resident Georgia Laughton said the exhibition removed some of the stigmas associated with disability. 

'It’s nice for our art to be appreciated, but not just in a tokenistic way,' she said.  

'In the exhibition our work was recognised for just being art, not the art of the disabled.'

Ms Laughton’s painting ‘Tea for Two’ was created during the midst of her autism diagnosis.  

'Every morning, I used to wake up and I'd try my hardest to be the best I could and every time I'd just fail,' she said.  

'When I received my diagnosis, it confirmed I wasn’t a failure, but my brain was just wired differently. 

'So, that was me sort of capturing my little self-portrait as a teapot with jelly for brains because I felt like a broken human.'

The exhibition showcased 56 artworks from the Victorian Senior Practitioners Collection spanning back to 2010, as well as 23 artworks by artists from the Bendigo region.