At the very beginning of his birth, Cinematography, like a child with special needs, was in no hurry to speak, for which he later received the nickname “The Great Mute.”

It was a time of searching for a new way of self-expression, the language of cinema, an attempt to combine the experience and spirit of the theatrical stage with the newly discovered technical capabilities of the new art. From then on, the development of the plot and the emotional experiences of the film's characters could only be expressed through body language, symbolic poses, facial expressions and gestures. No words, no reasoning out loud, no dialogues or other verbal flourishes.

One can see some similarities in the development and formation of silent cinema with the development of a child with autism, when some missing important functions are successfully compensated for by other possibilities. So, for example, certain traits inherent in an autistic individual, such as heightened sensitivity, characteristic detachment and problems with verbal communication, which create difficulties for living in society, suddenly turn out to be rare properties that are in demand in creative activity. Such isolation involuntarily protects children and adolescents with autism from the flow of ubiquitous routine information and dubious values ​​that level the personality.

Maxim Lagun is 17 years old today. His path as an artist began with the development of the cultural space of the Wostrau Art Studio, in which he began to draw at the age of 6, which became a unique way of arranging and expanding his living territory. Through drawing, an important process of adaptation and understanding of the surrounding world took place, realizing oneself in the role of an independent author. His compositions were distinguished by amazing accuracy in the depiction of each specific object and attention to the smallest details. At the same time, a special metaphysical substance was always present in his author’s interpretation.

The exhibition of graphic works presented today reflects the author’s intentions, addressing the theme of cinema. It all started with Maxim’s fascination with the branded screensavers of the famous film studios “20th Century Fox”, “Lenfilm” and others, and the idea that behind their advertising facades the magical world of cinema was hidden. Maxim was fascinated by the virtual space of the old black and white cinema; obviously, the expressiveness of bodily plasticity was closer and more understandable to his special perception. He loves to reproduce episodes from his favorite films, which he watches many times, repeating his favorite quotes out loud, as if gradually, turning into the characters of these fascinating events.

In addition, group classes in the theater studio developed his sense of belonging and interaction with other stage partners. Realizing the context of the exhibition project, we see that artistic practice can become a unique opportunity that helps an individual talk about himself, and for us, the audience, to get closer to the border of understanding of a person with a different worldview. It's like a crossroads where meeting and interest in each other is possible...

It is important to recall that such a phenomenon is possible only with the creation of the necessary cultural, nutritious habitat, purposeful teamwork of the family and the creative potential of the art studio.

Text: art critic, teacher Yuri Ivanov.