12 April – 30 June 2024
“I say sorry all the time.
Sorry because I think Iʼm wrong or Iʼm in the way or Iʼm late or I forgot to do something I said I would do or I missed another appointment. Sorry sorry sorry and sometimes I say Iʼm sorry even if it doesnʼt make sense when I donʼt know what to else to say.”
Aspex and Photoworks announce Lauren Joy Kennett‘s first solo show and the debut of her newest body of work ‘Sorry Iʼm Not Sorryʼ. This work was commissioned as part of the In Focus programme for 2023 at Aspex, Portsmouth.
In the new body of work Sorry Iʼm Not Sorry, LJK explores her experience of living with undiagnosed autism.
Through autobiographical and archive photography, LJK uses cutting and collaging techniques to explore self-discovery, confrontation of life’s traumas and experiences that have shaped her existence.
These fragmented and reassembled self-portraits serve as a visceral expression of the autistic experience. They capture the frustration of perpetual misunderstanding and an incapacity to articulate inner turmoil. The images encapsulate the alienation and loneliness experienced and the exhaustive effort to conform.
Using old family photographs, she reconstructs and reinterprets childhood memories; a process of dismantling and piecing together her identity to understand her past.
LJK returns to her childhood home in the countryside, seeking understanding and resolution with her parents. As she watches her son play as she once did, she begins to form new memories and look towards the future. This journey reveals new strength, grounded in self-awareness and acceptance.
‘Sorry Iʼm Not Sorry’ not only reflects LJKʼs personal story but also resonates with the wider late-discovered autistic community and neurotypical people, inviting empathy and a deeper understanding.
In Focus is a partnership between Photoworks and Aspex Portsmouth and part of Explorers, a national creative programme to increase the visibility and representation of neurodivergent artists in contemporary visual arts, led by Project Art Works with cultural partners nationwide.
