Good eyesight might seem to be a prerequisite for an artists but from Impressionist Edgar Degas to cyborg Neil Harbisson, colour blind artists replace clear sight with creative insights.
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Visual Arts
Neil Harbisson, uses sound to perceive colour
About 8% of men – and a much smaller number of women – are colour blind. That doesn’t mean they can’t see colour but it means their capacity to perceive the full range of colour distinctions is impaired. They may be excluded from work as pilots, police officers and electricians but – perhaps counter-intuitively – they can be artists, including painters known for their effective use of colour.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
