Art Without Limits: Bunbury exhibition showcases talent of artists living with neurological conditions

Bunbury’s Stirling Street Arts Centre has opened its doors to the rest of the State to showcase the talent of artists living with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.

Art Without Limits — which opened on May 29 — is an exhibition curated by MSWA aiming to highlight the unique perspectives, skills and passions of more than 50 artists from across Western Australia.

Coinciding with World MS Day on May 30, the theme of this year’s exhibition is “expression of self”, providing a platform for individuals to share their stories and demonstrate who they are, beyond their condition.

The free exhibition also opened in Perth last week and featured a diverse collection of paintings, photography, sculpture and mixed media.

MSWA client Linda Beach was diagnosed with MS in 1986 after a career working as a nurse.

She said the hardest part of living with the condition was its unpredictable nature.

“I think with MS, it’s fear,” she said.

“A fear of not knowing what next way it’s going to take you.”

Ms Beach said she hoped the exhibition would “wake the public up” to the condition and encourage people to be more compassionate.

She recalled a day in the Bunbury town centre, when she fell into the gutter trying to get out of her car.

“Three women walked past me laughing. It was awful,” she said.

“Then a man on a Harley motorbike saw me, turned around, parked his bike, crossed the road and lifted me. He said ‘I’ve got you Nana’ and sat me down on the bench’.”

Ms Beach’s creative piece Frustration symbolises the anger and heartache of living with MS.

“It takes a lot of you away, your independence,” she said.

According to MS Australia, two thirds of Australians living with MS face loneliness, often due to stigma, changes in work and the impact on relationships.

MSWA chief executive Melanie Kiely said the exhibition was designed to show that people with neurological conditions can push their limits and use their condition as inspiration to achieve “incredible things”.

“Living with MS and other neurological conditions often means carrying experiences the world can’t see,” she said.

MSWA community engagement officer Emily Ace said their clients had “amazing stories, talent, hopes and dreams just like everybody else”.

“We’re trying to showcase the people, not just the condition that they live with,” she said.

“(We’re) just trying to break down that barrier with the general public and show them another side of the amazing people behind those conditions and what they can really do.”

The exhibition will run until Thursday June 5 and is open from 9am-4pm.