January - March 2020

An exhibition of photographs by Colin Potsig was shown at the Institute of Mental Health, in collaboration with City Arts Nottingham.

More than one in a hundred people, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds are living with autism and one of the central features of the condition is difficulty communicating and forming relationships with other people. Just meeting someone else’s gaze causes many autistic people overwhelming anxiety. Colin Potsig has been using the processes of portrait photography to challenge this aspect of his own autism. He has found that with the camera ‘in between’ he is able to engage people with a directness and intensity that would otherwise be utterly impossible.

For this series he approached ‘high functioning’ autistic people who are carving out successful professional careers, both despite and because of their autism.

He met, interviewed and photographed his sitters with a spirit of exploration, enquiry and collaboration, to produce a series of truly compelling images that encourage contemplation, dialogue and deeper understanding.

‘You, Me and Autism too’ was made possible by funding from Arts Council England. In addition, Colin Potsig received valuable assistance from Spectrum Enterprises CIC, a specialist employment agency for people with autism and Asperger Syndrome.

The exhibition opened to the public from 16^th January - 26th March 2020.

The exhibition, plus an interview with Colin Potsig, featured on Notts TV in January 2020 (watch from 42:00).

About the artist

Colin Potsig is a photographer based in North East England. He was diagnosed with autism at 37 years old. In his early 40’s, Colin started to use the processes of formal portrait photography to challenge his condition. One of the key characteristics of autism is difficulty communicating and forming relationships with other people. For Colin, to fleetingly meet someone’s gaze in a greeting can be overwhelming and cause enormous anxiety. But despite these obstacles and with a growing sense of purpose he has collaborated with his sitters to create the ‘You, Me and Autism too’ exhibition.