A Matter of Gaze

24.05.2023 - 12.07.2023

Improper Walls, Wien / Österreich, 1150

After tackling the treatment gap, general stigma and the relationship between mental health and sexuality, this year, for Mental Health Awareness Month, we will explore education-related issues.

How many children spend their time and energy in school masking the symptoms of mental health issues, a temporary crisis they are going through or the effects of long-term stress from experiencing generational poverty, trauma, displacement, or prejudice toward their identities? Stigma, lack of inclusion, systemic biases and internalized prejudices among educators and parents only add to the rigidity of the normative schooling system....

A Matter of Gaze brings to the forefront the personal experiences of affected children, parents and educators to offer a safe space for discussion via exhibition and related public program. The project’s title refers to the disproportionate amount of attention that is placed on the external manifestation of one’s symptoms instead of internal experience. This prioritization of a neurotypical point of view strongly affects diagnosing process, resulting in under and misdiagnoses, particularly in girls and women who are more prone to mask their behavior under the pressure of fulfilling assigned gender stereotypes.

The exhibition — a solo show by Niña Lilli Lerch — aims to bring the viewer closer to the personal neurodivergent experience and self-developed coping mechanisms to deal with the system that holds more obstacles than help and is demanding enough even for a neurotypical brain. The series of expert talks will then take a closer look at the reality of masking, the effects of toxic stress and alternative schooling systems.

[Quelle: https://web.archive.org/save/https://improperwalls.com/events/amatterofgaze]