John Patrick McKenzie’s family emigrated to the United States when he was only two years old. At six, he still did not speak, except for a few words. An evaluation upon entering primary school revealed that he was autistic. John Patrick McKenzie was then transferred to a school for children with disabilities. He has only been speaking in full sentences since adolescence. Today, he lives with his parents and two sisters in San Francisco.
For more than fourteen years, he has attended the Creativity Explored workshop for adults with disabilities. Encouraged by the facilitators, he began drawing and writing on pieces of cardboard, plexiglass, salvaged windowpanes, painted boards, and even on a plastic mannequin. He lists phrases, often obscene and insulting, sometimes organized around a central theme such as a brand name, food, current events, or celebrities. He likes to classify people according to the decades in which they were born: “beatniks” (1930s), “cold turkeys” (1940s), “whipper snapper nerds” (1950s), “spring chickens” (1960s), “fresh chickens” (1970s), and “freshers” (post-1970). His works often deal with the difficult relationships between different generations.