Art. Voice. Power public exhibition against gender-based violence
While women find it hard to talk about their sexual abuse and traumatic experience, some have found a way of expressing themselves through the arts of telling stories of 1 in 3 women who have been sexually and physically abused in Nigeria.
Art. Voice. Power. Public Art Exhibition dedicated to 16 Days of activism against gender-based violence campaign was launched on 25th November in Abuja and Enugu. This was in partnership with OSIWA and Environmental Art Collective Foundation.
The exhibition displayed a curated artwork of paintings, sculptures, installations, and photographs by female artists at different shopping malls to draw the attention of the public, which sparked up their interest and the need to create awareness within their immediate environments on the need to speak against all forms of violence.
The exhibition themed Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls spelled out the key messages of violence and the ordeals survivors go through silently.
“Art speaks in the sense that it sticks to the subconsciousness” The former president of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FAAN) and a Visual Artist spoke on the importance of art as a medium to eliminating violence against women and girls.
It is of great importance that the knowledge of sexual and gender-based violence especially against women be created. At different exhibition centres, we used young people to engage in dialogue with onlookers to fill questionnaires that tested their perception of the exhibition and their knowledge of violence, as well join in advocating and influencing policies to eliminate violence against women and girls.
One of the artworks titled Cough Out Silver or Blood as described by the artist depicts the struggle that women go through in the society with getting enough support for empowerment.
The exhibition set the stage for us to increase social awareness, share stories of gender-based violence, and set the story straight of who the real perpetrators are and why the survivors must be protected.