Perth artist dedicates exhibition to life with Parkinson’s — ABC News Australia
In Perth, Australia, 40-year-old artist Andrew Grero has presented his first solo exhibition, Signal Lost. In vivid paintings, the artist, known for large murals, tells the story of living with early-onset Parkinson’s disease and depicts it as a monster.
As ABC News Australia reports, Grero was diagnosed with the progressive brain disease at the age of 36. At first, he felt a dull pain in his shoulder, then found it difficult to brush his teeth, and later began dragging his right leg. According to the artist, his life was completely different four years ago, and the exhibition is intended to help people better understand the experience of living with the disease.
Every year, more than 1,100 people under the age of 65 are diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in Australia. This accounts for up to 20% of all people living with Parkinson’s disease.
A painting about his relationship with his son
One of the exhibition’s most notable works is titled Monster. In it, Grero showed how the disease has affected his relationship with his two-year-old son. During periods when he does not take medication or when its effects wear off, the artist may walk hunched over, crawl, or lie on the floor. According to him, his son is sometimes frightened because he does not yet understand the reasons for his father’s condition.
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Grero hopes that when his son grows older and the family can explain the illness to him, he will not be afraid of his father or see him as a monster.
Everyday things in painting
A digital clock, a cheeseburger, and a can of lager appear in the artist’s works. Grero explained that the disease has affected every part of his life: after a large meal, it is harder for him to take medication, while alcohol worsens the symptoms. Through his paintings, he aims to show that Parkinson’s disease is not limited to tremors.
In one of the paintings at the end of the exhibition, Grero is beating the painted monster, with his friends and family depicted behind him. According to the artist, the exhibition has already resonated with other people with the same diagnosis. As his symptoms worsen, he plans to focus on studio work and less physically demanding genres, including urban and natural landscapes. At the same time, the artist wants to create murals again, show the exhibition in other places, and involve other artists living with Parkinson’s disease.
