A Show for Autism Awareness

Yinka Olatunbosun 

Nigeria’s art colossus, Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya will be participating at the maiden exhibition to raise awareness for children living with autism. Mr. Femi Coker, The manager, Orisun Art Gallery Abuja revealed that this show projects the therapeutic potential of art in encouraging and galvanizing support for these children who need special care. The exhibition is tagged “The Master and The Prodigy. “

In consonance with the United Nations’ Autism Awareness month of April, the show is curated to bring to the public knowledge the challenges and plight of those that have autism and how intervention can be made. 

The exhibition will be in collaboration with     Mr. Tagbo-Okeke, who will organize a first-of-its-kind art exhibition, to commemorate the event, bringing together in an art exhibition Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, a quintessential master artist and educator and the prodigious autistic teenage artist, Kanye Tagbo-Okeke, from April 29 at the gallery. 

Autism spectrum disorder is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.  It impacts the nervous system, leading to obsessive interests and compulsive behaviors. Treatment for this disorder can help, but unfortunately, this condition cannot be cured. Therefore, children with autism have a special need for care and attention. Some of them face discrimination and abuses because their conditions are not properly diagnosed and also because the awareness out in the public is not adequate enough. 

As art is very instructive to teaching and learning, visual art particularly has a resonance that captures the attention of all the categories of people.

“We are particularly delighted to be working with Bruce, he is a name that is being respected in the art circles. We have built Kanye as a brand that gives hope to the children that have special needs and we are looking forward to this exhibition where Kanye’s works will be exhibited for the world to see and once again make people understand the predicaments of children with autism and how best to deal with the challenge,” Tagbo Okeke concluded