statement-403
andrew martyn sugars works transdisciplinarily, working at the intersection of fine art, socially engaged, and facilitation practices. their practice is non‑linear, moving through threads of enquiry in ways that reflect their experience of neurodivergence.
their practice is shaped by interest, curiosity and presence — each new work emerging from the pull of what currently asks for attention.
“my present self looks to embrace the difference and isolation felt as a result of becoming more fully aware of my neurodivergence.”
andrew martyn sugars
bringing together their practice with the knowledge of their neurodivergence has meant trying to find a cohesive path through what has often felt like chaos: a body of work formed through instinct, attention shifts, and the drive to follow where energy gathers. what once felt scattered is now understood as part of an ongoing act of becoming.
their practice sits between the flow of art history and outsider art — a position that opens space for questioning, wandering, and working against linear expectation. they are still researching what their practice truly is as they come to terms with themselves in the knowledge of their neurodiversity.
they are currently exploring a new phase of work centred on chaos, play, and the presence of other people. the process is as important as the outcome: a space where energy is shared, ideas shift, and understanding is formed through the act of resolving chaos together. this emerging socially engaged practice is informed by a solitary filmmaking enquiry in which andrew observes, questions, and tries to understand the matters they see, hear, and move through.
they are interested in how play and curiosity can act as conceptual departure points — ways to generate connection, dismantle hierarchy, and create work collectively. in these settings, andrew acts as an orchestrator: guiding, facilitating, and enabling co‑creation and co‑production so the work becomes something owned by the community that makes it.
