Artists often use their work to share a message. A local painter and poet who is nonverbal also uses his art to be heard.
Charles Lenny Lunn has autism and apraxia, which prevents him from speaking.
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WATCH HEREIn the studio, Lunn uses rollers and brushes to express himself.
His style is modern and uniquely his own. His paintings are colorful, bold and sometimes paired with poems.
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SIGN UP To write, Lunn points to letters on an alphabet board dictating his words to a communication partner. Many of his poems are about his fight to communicate and be heard.
“Just as I found words for poems in my life, I found colors for my paintings quite easily," Lunn said. “Looking for words and colors gives me something to do in my silence. I want others to not think of me as silent and stupid.”
His paintings and poetry are featured in an exhibit at Lost Origins Gallery in Northwest D.C. titled “Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to Be Heard.” It is Lunn’s first art show. His mother hopes the exhibit will inspire others.
“This is absolutely about giving children who are non-speaking a voice and letting the world know that they are in there,” she said. “When Charles was 10 months old, I was told he would be a vegetable, he would never walk, he would not get off all fours and to put him in a home. And I gotta tell you, that’s not my son. So, you’ve gotta believe. You’ve gotta believe in competence. There’s a voice in there; there’s a human in there, and just give them a way to express themselves.”
Sarah Tanguy and Jason Hamacher curated the exhibit of 20 paintings and several poems. But it’s not just about the art, they say.
“We all have struggles; we’ve all experienced frustration and pain,” Tanguy said. “And there is so much joy and overcoming and liberation in these paintings.”
“What I’m hoping to illustrate with this is that what we see and what we experience does not translate to what’s inside of someone, and so this, for me, is important,” Hamacher said.
Lunn’s work can be seen at the Lost Origins Gallery through June 8.
