mic🤍ART

MICAH OLIVER

Micah is an autistic artist, born in Geneva in 1975. He was hospitalised from the age of 17 in psychiatric hospitals, firstly in Switzerland and then in Norway, to where he later moved. It transpired that he was wrongly diagnosed with and treated for paranoid schizophrenia, staying in a psychiatric hospital for 18 years. Micah has autism, with limited speech and comprehension, and living so many years in a hospital environment with unrecognised autism was extremely traumatic. This has subsequently caused him a complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2017, he won a case against the Norwegian State, one of the most important court cases ever ruled in the history of Norwegian psychiatry. Both the Norwegian Court and the Court of Appeals found the State guilty of almost 20 years of forced confinement and treatment based on wrong diagnosis.

In 2018, Micah moved to Spain where in 2020 he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor in the lung. A rare form of cancer. He had a major surgery where one lung had to be removed.

Micah continues to reside in Málaga Spain, where he dedicates his time to his art. He attends a daycare centre which specialises in autism, and here he receives all the support he needs on a daily basis, ensuring the best possible quality of life.

Micah is currently thriving in this environment and along with his art, he is a great inspiration for many. He is always

happy with who he is, and just loves to love🤍and to give kisses. Lots of kisses.

MICAH'S ART

Micah is self-taught, starting to paint and draw even before he could speak. At the age of 16 he was admitted at the École des Beaux Art of Geneva. He often paints in layers, with symbols, or diluted. He loves to experiment and discover the kind of magic happening in front of him. Art became his primary means of communication. Every time he embarks on a new work, he expresses a whole story that mere words could never do. Micah loves to paint outside, in nature. His friends, his dog Rishi and his nine cats, always join him around painting time. Micah is never finished exploring what art can bring to this world. He expresses mostly in an abstract expressionist style, which allows him to paint with his hands - his favoured instrument of choice, although he does use brushes, paint markers and various other tools. His painting inspires and takes the viewer along for the ride. Understandably in the context of his past, Micah’s art conveys an integral sense of freedom.

Micah loves music, but most of all he loves to listen to nature's music, the silence of profound grace.

DIGITAL ART

Micah also uses his unique talent in digital art, which mostly satisfies the deeply spiritual aspect of his life. Through this means he expresses his devotion towards spiritual monuments, such as cathedrals and different types of temples. This type of artwork is a niche which he holds very close to his heart.

MICAH'S DREAM

The colossal lack of support and understanding that Micah has experienced through life is what drives his vision - one of contribution, acceptance, awareness, knowledge, love and inclusion. Micah's dream is for his art to be sold under the name "mic🤍ART", which will contribute to the autistic community, with a part of the profit being donated to his

daycare and residential centre. Both his mother and his community Autismo Málaga, stand firmly by him, supporting him to ensure that his vision and dreams come into fruition.