Ostalgia in Collecting, Childhood Stories and Characters by Carolyn Mae Guerin

20x32  Oil on Canvas by Carolyn Mae Guerin

Artist Statement:

 In my work, much of my inspiration stems from growing up alongside my non-verbal autistic brother, Nick. Through years of observing how he interacts with his environment, I’ve developed a visual language that aims to deepen understanding and challenge common narratives around disability.

Early in my practice, I focused on educating viewers unfamiliar with autism and the realities of supporting someone with high care needs. Recently, my approach has evolved. Rather than simply making work about autistic individuals, I’ve been creating work that’s focused on their lived experiences and emotional perspectives. My goal is to communicate the richness of these lives through subtle, everyday scenes and the objects that give them structure and meaning.

Objects play a central role in both my brother’s world and my art. For Nick, they are more than belongings; they are tools for communication, comfort, and expression. The way he organizes and cherishes his collections reveals his inner logic and personality. Inspired by this, I explore how objects serve as anchors of identity and extensions of self. Drawing from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s ideas in Why We Need Things, I examine how material possessions help us form narratives, preserve memories, and create emotional continuity over time.

Color, too, is essential in this process. I use vibrant, often overwhelming palettes and compositions that mirror the way Nick visually arranges his world, layered, clustered, and full of color. These choices aren’t just aesthetic; they evoke sensory experiences that reflect my brother’s viewpoint as both an individual with autism and as a collector.