Harmon Dot Aut

Harmon dot aut (They/She) is a nonbinary/Multiply Neurodivergent/Mad/Disabled artist whose work centers their Joy, Humor, Pain & unfiltered Synesthetic processing with a cheeky use of materials and social critique with a wink. With over twenty years of self-guided research and immersion in art making techniques, materials and practices, Harmon's innate multidisciplinary, holistic approach is an invitation to experience their kaleidoscopic perceptions. "Every sense I have is at full-tilt 24/7, mixing and blending; I have no filter. Every face I see is a confusing surface. My primary form of communication is not words or speech, I must translate into language in order to be understood. My intrinsic "vocabulary" are: fractals, geometry, shapes, hues, frequency, vibration, patterns repeating up and down, the same zoomed in or out, infinite, time happening all at once. Art making, in every medium fits my experience of this world best -- a door in and out. During my life, my differences have been the excuse others have used to abuse me in every way imaginable, but I'm here because, inside, I carry an inextinguishable "F.U." spark! The history of art is like a family business: here's the people and systems I deeply love and here are the structures and peeps I want to cut out of the photos. Exacto and the Warm Fuzzies, come Sense with me."

In this series of five tactile paintings called: "Camouflaging Belongs To You", Harmon critiques the learned practice of "Masking", a behavior modification tactic imposed upon Autistic folx to ostensibly help Autists to lead more "functional" lives by hiding innate body language, behaviors and expression so that Autists can blend in & appear more "normal". "Funny since "normal" and the system we are blending into is also a construction. Guess that means everybody is in costume and we are all parading around as walking, talking cartoons." In this series, Harmon forces the paintings to camouflage by suturing the masks directly to the paintings' skin. Foam core, plastic yarn, acrylics scraped out of discarded paint tubes -- F.U. is right.