About Mahlia Amatina Autistic Artist
Links
Awards
2019
Top 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women
2018
‘Developing your Creative Practise’
2018
Winner of ‘Best Education Project’
2017
Arts Council Funding
Websit page for further info: https://www.mahliaamatina.com/project-washing-lines
2016
Reading's Year of Culture Award
2015
Finalist in UK Trust Awards 2015
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Previous events
Event: Neurodiversity at Oxford Art Exhibition
Dates: 12 Feb 2022 - 25 Feb 2022
Mahlia Amatina invites you into a multi-sensory experience of colour, line, shape and form through tactile art that explores the creative side of neurodiversity. After being diagnosed with autism in 2015, Mahlia was inspired to share the unique sensory experiences of life on the autism spectrum through her art. Using acrylic paint, oil sticks, Indian ink, and all manner of mixed media on paper and canvas, Mahlia explodes through traditional boundaries of style and purpose.
Event: Alternate Perceptions - Exhibition
Dates: 25 May 2021 - 3 Jul 2021
Alternate Perceptions is an exhibition which showcased a collection of Mahlia’s recent works, as well as presenting an art installation created as part of the SHIFT! programme in collaboration with Wiltshire Creative’s group of young artists: #80WashingLines – A Wiltshire Takeover.
Event: ‘Life on a Spectrum’
Dates: 23 Nov 2019 - 12 Jan 2020
Inspired by my arts-led advocacy work on neurodiversity, ‘Life on a Spectrum’ is my latest exhibit, which will be touring three venues across the South-East of England. It is an interactive exhibit that uses visual art, writing, videography and performance art to involve viewers both onsite and online. The work builds on previous autism-related exhibitions ‘On a Spectrum – an exploration of Asperger’s syndrome’ and ‘Around the World in 80 Washing Lines’, as well as an arts-based project on ‘Women and Autism’ created in New York City.
Visitors can play an active role in the creative process at ‘Life on a Spectrum’. They are encouraged to interact with exhibit elements by generating their own art using pre-cut magnetic shapes and leaving responses to questions related to autism-specific traits. The exhibition will grow naturally over time, as more reactions are collated and the narrative on neurodiversity continues to grow within the space.
Event: ‘Around the World in 80 Washing Lines’
Dates: 2 Sep 2018 - 16 Sep 2018
Inspired by the book title ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ by Jules Verner, I shall be creating an art installation of 80 washing line photos from 80 different countries. This project is an extension of the thought process behind the painting “Look! They Also Dry Their Clothes!” at my recent ‘Kathmandu Calling!’ exhibition, and explores culture and diversity, as well as the universally accepted notion of hanging our clothes out to dry.
The project will have multiple dimensions involved, and I’ll be having conversations with people from all round the world to capture a glimpse of the stories that are behind each washing line. A mini-blog will be created to showcase each washing line image, while the final outcome will be a fully immersive and multi-sensory art installation for the public to view, explore and learn from.
The special art project is reminiscent of the prayer flags strung along the mountains of the Himalayas. And this is where the original inspiration comes from - the
Event: 'On a Spectrum - an exploration of Asperger's syndrome'
Dates: 25 Feb 2017 - 16 Mar 2017
Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) in late 2015, my perspective on life shifted as this new information appeared on my horizon. I’d only heard of AS in the context of whatever book or film I’d been reading in the moment – it wasn’t something that stuck. Nor did I know anyone with Asperger’s. I had become a one percent-er.
As I read more about the condition and attended a group for the newly diagnosed, I was keen to hear more from others and how they experience their Asperger’s. Armed with a background in market research and my newfound career as an artist (ironically occurring at the same time it was first suggested I may have Asperger’s), I decided to combine the two and devise a questionnaire that would then lead on to an art exhibition. I wanted to be able to tell our story.
To read more, see: http://www.mahliaamatina.com/asperger-s-art
Event: Kathmandu Calling! an Art Exhibition on Nepal, for Nepal
Dates: 19 Oct 2015 - 31 Oct 2015
Amatina's recent solo exhibition across two locations in Reading, Berkshire, featured a two-week art extravaganza with paintings and craftshops influenced by Amatina's time in Nepal.
A true Nepalese immersion through the power of art and community, the following page features the work from this collection: http://www.mahliaamatina.com/#!blank/e90yr
Biography
Visionary artist Mahlia Amatina invites you into a multi-sensory experience of colour, line, shape and form through tactile art that explores the creative side of neurodiversity. Drawing inspiration from the varied landscapes and rich flavours of her international roots and global travels, Mahlia’s visual vocabulary creates a narrative through abstraction. Using acrylic paint, oil sticks, Indian ink, and all manner of mixed media on paper and canvas, Mahlia explodes through traditional boundaries of style and purpose.
After being diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2015, Mahlia was inspired to share the unique sensory experiences of life on the autism spectrum through her art. Working around the theme of neurodiversity, Mahlia has transformed her signature style of abstract colourism into a unique, interactive, multi-sensory experience that invites viewers to engage on a level that works for them.
For Mahlia, art heals and transforms, expanding the experience of living. Her mission includes creating communities through the combination of art and advocacy around the globe. She has volunteered with children’s arts organisations, undertaken residencies, and had her works displayed in both fine art and community venues in seven countries, as she pushes for artwork to be experienced by a wider variety of audiences.
Mahlia has been awarded Arts Council England (ACE) funding twice, including the ‘Developing your Creative Practise’ fund, and has been featured as one of the Top 50 Influential Neurodiverse Women of 2019 by Women Beyond the Box. She has spoken about her experiences as an autistic artist from Liberty's of London to Glastonbury Festival.
“My vision is colour. My heartbeat is rhyme. My mind expands with bursts of line, shape, and form. And my hands tell my stories.
I paint from an intuitive, visionary space, compelled to tell stories through art that can heal, transform, and transcend boundaries. With international roots and a passion for travel, my global understanding informs my artwork and fuels my desire to expand the experience of living.
Born into this life as a creative spirit, I’ve dedicated my life to connecting with humanity through creativity. Art imbues each moment of life, every cell of my being. This new passage came from an awakening to use art as my medium to continue the quest for meaning. The voyage continues.”
