Oddments and fever dreams: notes from the field, 2012-2022

Sonia Boué, British Art Network, 2022

The essay confronts how the UK arts sector engages with neurodivergent artists, stating that disabled and neurodivergent creators are too often “othered” or used to check diversity boxes rather than being genuinely included as vital practitioners.

Reflecting Boué’s signature approach to art (she is a celebrated collagist), the essay is pieced together using fragments of field notes, disjointed memories, and subjective observations, brilliantly mirroring the neurodivergent experience of navigating a rigid art world.

The text serves as a 10-year retrospective, measuring how far (or how little) British institutions have genuinely progressed in representation, authorship, and structural support for marginalised voices since 2012.