30 x 40 inches
Oil on canvas
September 2011
SOLD
Description:
Struggled Puppets examines the impact of Audism and the long history of oppression experienced by the Deaf community. The two Deaf figures are portrayed as puppets whose strings are controlled by forces that have promoted oralism, including the influence of Alexander Graham Bell, mainstream educational programs, and professionals who have discouraged the use of American Sign Language and failed to respect Deaf culture. This struggle has continued across generations.
The blue painter’s tape wrapped around the hands symbolizes Deaf children who were forbidden to sign and instead were expected to learn to speak and listen. It reflects Bell’s philosophy that Deaf people should be taught to forget they are deaf. The tangled strings represent the barriers and control imposed by oralism, while the two Deaf figures struggle to break free by pulling down the strings held by their controllers. Their resistance symbolizes the Deaf community’s ongoing fight for linguistic rights, cultural identity, and self-determination.
This painting is part of the permanent collection of the Istituto dei Sordi di Torino in Turin.
