Arabic version: أندرو غريرو يرسم تجربة باركنسون في معرض فردي

According to ABC News, Perth-based artist Andrew Grero is using his first solo exhibition, Signal Lost, to explore life with young-onset Parkinson’s disease. The 40-year-old mural painter is exhibiting at Inglewood Arts Hub, where Parkinson’s is represented as a “monster” that has changed his life.

Grero was diagnosed with the progressive brain disorder at age 36 after first experiencing a dull shoulder ache. He later struggled to brush his teeth and began dragging his right leg. He is among more than 1,100 Australians under 65 diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease each year, a group accounting for up to 20 per cent of people living with Parkinson’s.

The exhibition includes Monster, a painting about the disease’s effect on his relationship with his two-year-old son. Grero said that during periods when his medication is not working, he can be hunched over, crawling or lying on the floor, which can frighten his child. He hopes his son will understand his condition as he gets older.

Grero uses bright colours and familiar items including a digital watch, a cheeseburger and a can of lager to show how Parkinson’s affects everyday routines. He said meals can interfere with medication and that drinks can worsen his symptoms, while noting that many people only see tremors rather than the broader effects of the condition.

Another work shows Grero punching the Parkinson’s “monster,” with friends and family illustrated behind him. As his symptoms worsen, he said he is concentrating more on studio work and less taxing cityscapes and landscapes, while hoping to return to murals. He also wants the exhibition to travel and include other artists with Parkinson’s.