Disabled digital artist Wilsher-Mills brings pixel perfection to Rugby

Jason and His Argonauts features a dazzling collection of cutting-edge, digital art, including three-dimensional prints, lightbox installations, sculptures, floor coverings and wallpaper.

The bold and brightly coloured pieces explore Wilsher-Mills' disability, his working-class roots growing up in Wakefield and popular culture from his childhood in the 1970s - a distinct artistic aesthetic he has dubbed "I, Daniel Blake meets The Beano."

Wilsher-Mills was paralysed from the neck down after contracting chickenpox at 11-years-old and was later diagnosed with polyneuropathy and chronic fatigue syndrome, diseases which impact mobility and the body's immune system.

After studying fine art at Cardiff University, he originally questioned the validity of creating art digitally, but quickly came to embrace the power of the pixel after purchasing an Apple iPad more than a decade ago.

Free from the constraints of canvas, Wilsher-Mills has now expanded his artistic palette to include large-scale sculptures, 3D prints, lightbox paintings and augmented reality experiences - even embedding hidden digital content in his work.

Wilsher-Mills won the prestigious Adam Reynolds Award in 2020 and has produced commissions for the Houses of Parliament, ITV and Sky Arts.

His works have been exhibited at V&A Late, Tate Exchange at Tate Modern and London's Liberty Festival.

Katie Boyce, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's senior exhibitions and programming officer, said: "Jason has embraced the freedoms of the digital world and his distinctive, brightly-coloured pieces have a childlike, cartoonish quality, through which he explores his own experiences of disability and the experiences of others.

"Since winning the Adam Reynolds Award, interest in his work has rocketed, so we're looking forward to welcoming both Jason and his Argonauts to Rugby for our new exhibition."

Jason and His Argonauts, a 2021 Visual Arts Centre touring exhibition, opens at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 22 June and runs until Saturday 7 September.

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk