Melanie Jai

Through the Looking Glass

Gladstone mother and artist Melanie Jai uses artistic therapy to infuse herself into her autistic son’s head space to tell his stories.

Melanie says that each artwork tackles a base emotion that we all experience at some time, the difference being that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) sufferers experience these strong emotions all the time.

“ASD sufferers access a different part of their brains than we do, making them process information differently. They interpret communication in a very black and white manner, making facial expressions, humour, colloquialisms and slang difficult to comprehend.”

Ms Jai says that through her art she hopes to inspire understanding, compassion and acceptance for those who struggle to communicate emotions themselves.

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