John Hansard Gallery is excited to present a new exhibition by artist and researcher Juanrie Strydom.

Based on a physical experience the artist encountered during 2024-25, Out of Order is a deeply personal exploration of this time.

Juanrie Strydom is a practitioner working with photography, digital and mixed-media processes. Her methodology aims to construct a visual language to articulate her disability experiences. As an individual with Cerebral Palsy Spastic Quadriplegia, Juanrie considers ways to demonstrate how technology and technological devices support, challenge, and limit the process of communication and accessibility to produce practice.

During December 2024 – February 2025, she was confined to her home due to a broken lift. This exhibition is based on her experience during this time:

“I am sitting here trying not to cry. I feel the panic and anxiety rising. My arms feel heavy and numb. I feel pressure in my chest, tears from behind my eyes, and my skin begins to crawl. I gather myself to make the phone calls and send emails to cancel or reschedule plans, once again putting my life on hold. I must pause my life again and wait for it to resume when I am free again.

This project is not just for me, but those like me who must live this life, being entrapped, isolated and alienated because of inaccessible housing and lack of accessible housing available. These photographs and words are not for perseverance or empathy, but to share how, even in 2025, we live in a society that makes disability a very isolating experience.

I hope that my experience will shed some light on the situation and that others like me will know they are not alone. I dedicate this project to all the allies, friends, family, and people who have been there for me during the hardest times.”

Juanrie Strydom