Ekphrasis: Perceptions of Ability

Through a series of photographs and corresponding poems, Ekphrasis: Perceptions of Ability examines individual and societal perceptions of disability, both visible and invisible. The work asks how definitions of ability and disability shape lived experience, and to what extent commonly held ideas of “impairment” are informed by social assumptions, limitations, and misunderstanding.

These photographic and poetic portraits bring together physical presence, personal expression, daily challenges, and forms of ability and strengths that emerge through disability itself, presenting each individual as complex and multidimensional.

By pairing image and text, the series invites a shift in perception, encouraging viewers to move beyond surface recognition and consider how perspective shapes understanding. The work asks not only how we see others, but how those ways of seeing are constructed.