Unable to Speak - Selective Mutism No. 1

My Personal Journey as a Selective Mute

Communication is difficult for a selective mute, especially when you are transferred into a new environment. You have been taken out of one primary school into another; a special unit, adjacent to the main school. The staff within the special unit do not believe in selective mutism; they just think you are shy. You are unable to talk to your teachers and peers. But if you do try to talk, nothing comes out. You don't have a choice, you are unable to speak, so you are given a whiteboard and pen to communicate, but it is not the same as talking. You only hope that words can come to you... Someday they will come to you...

In my first painting of the series of selective mutism, a young boy stands in the midst of a bustling playground at primary school. The area is crowded with students and a handful of teachers, but their faces are hidden from view, creating a ghostly and disturbing effect. The only face that is visible is that of the young boy in the centre. With a mixture of fear, anxiety, and shyness etched on his face, the boy appears visibly distressed. Lost in the midst of a bustling crowd, he feels like a mere speck, invisible and isolated. Desperate for connection, he raises a whiteboard, bearing the simple yet poignant words, “Hello?"