News / Arts
Exhibition allows artists’ talent to shine
Studio in Brunswick provides a weekly outlet for people with disabilities
Mark Phillips
JOSEPHINE Lazidis could barely see until she was five, but she is making up for lost time.
Now 35, she is one of the stars of Beacon, a new exhibition at the Counihan Gallery that showcases works by participants of Artstop, an arts access studio, in Brunswick.
Fifteen members of the studio, which operates out of the Brunswick Uniting Church, have artworks in the exhibition, which opened last Saturday.
Some of them have professional arts backgrounds but their careers have been impacted by illness or disability, while others use art as therapy.
For Josephine, who was born with Down’s Syndrome and significant hearing and sight impairments, the three hours she spends with other people with disabilities at Artstop is the highlight of her week.
“She really looks forward to it,” said her mother and primary carer, Sharon.
Josephine was a keen drawer and painter from childhood and has been a member of Artstop for five years.
She has eight paintings on display inspired by family members including a self-portrait.
The expressive works in acrylic paints were produced when she temporarily relocated to Perth during the Covid pandemic and lived with her twin sister and nephew Charlie, who features in several of the works. During that period, she continued with Artstop remotely through sessions streamed online.
Her art has flourished and developed significantly since then, Sharon said.
Maree G uses photographs of jellyfish to convey the theme Beacon. 
Theo Psathas, a resident at Stewart Lodge who has been participating in Artstop for 13 years, surrounded by his works inspired by stars from the golden age of Hollywood including Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. 
Drawings by Stefano Conti, a resident at Brunswick Lodge. 
Michael Buckley with his project titled Substantia Nigra.
Artstop began in 2009, originally to provide an activity for local residents of supported residential services. It is now an NDIS-accredited program open to deaf and disabled people and is one of six inclusive arts studios around Melbourne operated by Arts Access Victoria, the state’s peak body for arts and disability.
The new exhibition, Beacon, features works in a diverse range of mediums, including paintings and drawings, textiles, photography and film.
It explores concepts of disability, safety and connection through the idea of a beacon as a light that pierces through darkness as a warning signal or celebration. The Artstop studio artists have created works that explore what guides them and what shines brightly in their lives.
Another of the exhibiting artists, Maree G, chose photos of jellyfish and waterfalls as her subject matter.
She said she was attracted to the jellyfish by how they almost glowed due to the contrast between light and darkness, which served as a metaphor for the show’s theme.
A trained multidisciplinary artist and musician who is represented in many private collections, she said Artstop had helped her rediscover her passion for making art while living with chronic fatigue syndrome and other health issues.
“No matter how hard times get, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” she said of the message she wanted to convey through her work.
“I have been through some hard times myself and it’s important to keep that hope alight no matter how dark and tricky and confusing and challenging things are, there’s always hope of positive things to come.”
Another exhibitor, Michael Buckley, also comes from a significant artistic background as a film maker and university lecturer in multimedia, but has been living with Parkinson’s Disease for the past 15 years.
His work, Substantia Nigra, explores a theme of the brain and how it functions. Occupying a full wall of the gallery and consisting of cartoonish figures and text, it expands on an exhibition he held a decade ago in Hamburg, Germany.
Michael, 70, was referred to Artstop by his GP a year ago, and said it had motivated him to continue drawing and painting.
“It’s better for me to work with other people in the room rather than by myself,” he said.
Beacon runs at the Counihan Gallery until October 26 along with heavy body history: Merri-bek Collection and Recent Works.
