Ping Lian Yeak Richard Wawro, Christophe Pillault, Temple Grandin .
January 11 - February 4, 2006 The Children's Center for Early Learning & Henry Gregg Gallery present: Autistic Savant Artworks: Don't 'dis' the ability.
A New York 2006 Art Exhibition Tour featuring the works of four internationally renowned artists. What is savant syndrome? Savant Syndrome is a rare, but spectacular, condition in which persons with various developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, have astonishing islands of ability, brilliance or talent that stand in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to overall limitations. www.savantsyndrome.com.
Artist Reception: Saturday, January 14, 2005, 6-9PM sponsored in part by the Children's Charitable Foundation text by Dr. Darold Treffert, MD.
Ping Lian Yeak: A Remarkable Artist Ping Lian's artwork stands on its own demonstrating a remarkable artistic ability in a 12 year old boy. Ping Lian is from Malaysia. His drawings are colorful, cheerful and impressive. Those drawings take on an added significance, however, when one sees that such ability co-exists with a dis-ability as described by his mother and teachers. Such artistic prowess as Ping Lian demonstrates, in addition to providing us with beautiful art, serves as a source of satisfaction, development and growth for him, helping eventually to minimize whatever limitations might spring from his disabilities.
Richard Wawro: An Amazing Artist Richard Wawro is a remarkable Edinburgh, Scotland artist, now known world-wide, for his detailed drawings using wax oil crayons as his only medium. He can create exceedingly detailed, dramatic drawings of intense depth and color. Richard was born in 1952. When he was three years old his parents were told that he was moderately to severely retarded. He also showed considerable autistic behavior with the characteristic obsession for sameness, withdrawal, twirling while walking and a preoccupation with the piano striking a single key for hours at a time and spinning objects endlessly.
Christophe Pillault: A Remarkable artist Christophe Pillault (Olivet, France) was born in Iran in 1982. An autistic savant, he is unable to talk, walk or feed himself. He discovered painting, using his hands though unable to use his fingers functionally. He began painting in 1993. His capacities were discovered by his special education teacher and then encouraged by his mother. Christophe does not talk but expresses himself through his paintings. A singular figure in art, he paints with his hands and uses acrylic on paper, canvas and cardboard. Imaginaire #773, acrylic on canvas, 20.75" X 28.75", 1996.
Dr. Temple Grandin Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world and is a prominent author and speaker on the subject of autism. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She has designed facilities in the U.S, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Dr. Grandin has contributed some of her engineering prints for this exhibition.
