New York-based American multidisciplinary artist Finnegan Shannon has made a name for himself with his subversive, access-focused artwork. Their practice has always spoken to the disability community, and they say their art is defined by a constant questioning of “how we, as a (society), can move toward more nuanced and more transformative approaches to access.”

Finnegan’s work spans design, installation and studio art and has resulted in a range of innovative projects and exhibitions including Anti-stairs club loungea specially designed space within the Wassaic Project in New York. Here, seven floors and no elevator make the work housed there inaccessible to those unable to use stairs, but Finnegan’s space counters this with an artwork-cum-seating area that houses reading materials, refreshments, a charging station, and a mural that reads, “The Higher You Climb, the Farther You Fall.”

Another notable project from Finnegan’s oeuvre is their series of benches that have been placed in museums across the country. Titled Do you want us here or not?The series challenges these institutions on their lack of seating by providing custom-made blue benches with white text painted on them. Rules of the benches include: ‘It was difficult to get here. Rest if you agree’ and ‘This exhibition has asked me to stand for too long. Sit if you agree’. Simple in execution yet inherently provocative, Finnegan’s unique brand of art blends the mundane with the political.

Of the questions that guide their work, Finnegan says, “How can practices of access nurture solidarity and connection among people with disabilities? How do we create spaces and experiences that don’t just leave people with disabilities alone? can access but want to to gain access?” They conclude: “By focusing my work on people with disabilities as a primary audience, I hope my experiments point to and manifest environments where people with disabilities are not just tolerated, but where we can be together and thrive.”