Sigiloso (1 in 31), 2025 

31 upcycled paper offcuts, fishing line

dimensions variable

the puzzle piece first appeared associated with Autism in 1963 in a logo designed by Gerald Gasson for the National Autistic Society of the UK. Offered up initially to depict Autism as both a puzzle to solve and a mysterious, involute conditiom misinterpreted by predominate society, the symbol has become associated most notably with peer-identified hate group Autism Speaks in North America, but is understood beyond this organisation as representative of Autism internationally.

data compiled in 2025 by the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention cites Autism diagnoses are estimated at 1 in 31 people born after 2014, or 3.2%, an increase from 1 in 36 in 2023, and 1 in 44 in 2021. (https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/index.html). In the same breath, Autism is exhibited as constituting an epidemic, encouraged by catastrophising statements from the American Department of Health and Human Services (https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/autism-epidemic-runs-rampant-new-data-shows-grants.html).

in Sigiloso, Mikell encourages audiences to consider whether lifelong neurodevelopmental disabilities should ever be classified under the purview of epidemiology, while concurrently disputing whether discourses centering motif endorse surface-level detraction in the social spaces of communities facing imperiling systemic oppression. Mikell hopes to remind viewers of the individuals behind Autism diagnoses, the necessity of platforming a multitude of Autistic lived-experiences, and to emphasise that Autistic people do not constitute a monolith.

consistent with Mikell’s practice, this piece is composed entirely of repurposed materials diverted from cycles of disuse, in an effort to mitigate industry waste. As a result, imperfections are to be expected. Please contact the artist with further inquiries about production.