Cooper & Freak Monster
Oil on canvas, 2025
91 x 122cm
$3,000
Cooper & Freak Monster were made by Colour Collective art workshop participants. The characters represent the participants and give them an alto-ego to safely share their thoughts, while keeping their true identities anonymous.
Cooper:
Why do people assume that because we’re different, we’re any less? We might not be as capable in some areas of life, but this doesn't mean we want to be treated like we are less .
People should ask themselves why they think that we’re lazy or unfulfilled just because our life might go at a different pace, that we might need more time to rest, or that we might have different goals.
If I could tell someone something to consider before engaging with the disability community, it would tell them this: Listen to us. Believe us when we tell you about our experiences. Don't just listen to our words either, as we don't all have access to those, but listen to our behaviour, our actions, our emotions and our reactions. Just because we might not always communicate the same way as you, doesn’t mean we don't have things to share.
Freak Monster:
It's important that people reflect honestly on what they consider valuable in people. We often subconsciously attribute more value or worth to those that have capacity to work and be productive in our Capitalist world. We need to reframe what value means and challenge what we’ve been taught. I value things like diversity, compassion, love, justice, authenticity, knowledge and community, qualities which are found across all cultures. A burden that many disabled people carry is the feeling of not being worthy of taking up space, because society has taught us that we are less valued due to our inability to participate in the world like others can. We all have equal value, you might just not be looking for it - because you don't know how.
Be curious and humble, you’ll never know everything about the lived experiences of those with disabilities. Even if someone close to you is disabled, or you yourself are disabled. We’re all different and that’s what unites us.
