An Extension of the Exhibition
Contributions by the winner of the Gaslighting poster competition, Lidia Lidia (left) and Benji Appleby-Tyler (right)
As part of the online group exhibition GASLIGHTING, an open call was put out by the Socially Engaged Art Salon Brighton (SEAS) to design a poster to raise awareness of domestic abuse during Covid-19. From the entries, 15 poster designs were selected by a panel of judges—Barry Adamson, a multi-disciplined artist; Christine Webster, an international photo/video artist and psychotherapist; and SEAS founder Gil Mualem-Doron—to be printed and displayed in Brighton with the overall winner also receiving a £100 prize.
GASLIGHTING showcases the work of artists who have had direct experience of domestic abuse. The resulting exhibition, curated by artist and activist Miranda Gavin, is a selection of personal work on this theme that includes photography, film, animation, performance, poetry and painting. The shortlisted posters also feature in the online exhibition and a zine, Tough Cookie, which accompanies the exhibition.
Details on the 16 competitive entries, as well as one non-competitive entry, are as listed below.
Lidia Lidia
Untitled, 2020
It took just a few months for governments worldwide to set up laws attempting to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestic violence is a long lasting 'pandemic' and the 'vaccine' to stop it is to change cultural habits and legal frameworks. Lidia Lidia works as a multidisciplinary conceptual artist to visualise these ideas using dolls as euphemisms to the severity of the reality of being abused.
Daya Bhatti
Behind Closed Doors, 2020
The illustration/painting represents domestic violence as physical violence and being isolated which women face which often can be hidden and neglected because it is behind doors. The painting gives the brutal insight of what victims may face behind closed doors through the keyhole.
Daya Bhatti is an artist and illustrator based in the UK inspired by Indian culture, fashion and film to portray identity in her practice.
Benji Appleby-Tyler
Domestic Violence 3, 2020
Domestic abuse is not a problem you can just bury away. Benji Appleby-Tyler explores the innermost thoughts and core beliefs that contribute to the make-up of a person. This work encourages victims to find safe ways to ‘dig-up’ their truth and share their experiences in order to find a beneficial resolution.
Federico Gallo
Chaos, The Fool & Once, 2020
These photo-collages explore the psychological consequences of domestic violence. The fear, the despair, the soul gashing.
Victoria Forrest
Were you there?, 2020
An awareness campaign encouraging neighbours to call the 'Refuge' helpline if they witness or suspect domestic abuse. Witness testimony is vital to a successful domestic violence charge as abusers will gaslight events to avoid prosecution. This autoethnographic poster uses words from the police statement and evidence from police photographs after the artist’s partner was released without charge for ABH in 2012. This police report consists of a written statement and evidence photographs of violence inflicted supplied as black and white A4 photocopies. It is the only document a victim may receive and therefore the only proo' that an event happened. "And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, were you there?” - Lyrics from 'When I Needed a Neighbour’ by Sydney Carter.
T: @vikabooks I: @vika.books
Susan Plover
Study in Blue, Mr Hyde, Addicted To Love and The Age of Reason, 2020
These images present you with male viewpoints as either the aggressor or the victim. Our understanding of domestic violence should be widened and in doing so, ungendered.
Suchitra Chatterjee
Never Again, 2020
An image of a young woman with a bloody handprint on her skin. A final act of violence that forces a person to seek help after facing domestic abuse.
O. Yemi Tubi
Harmony, Global Family, Global Lockdown, and Knock Out, 2020
O. Yemi Tubi, also known as Moyat, born in 1955 in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, West Africa explores domestic abuse and how sharing this information using posters might be futile or how it could be visualised. Euphemism or actuality, how can one explore the intricacies of abuse within the frames of a poster?
Margaret Fitzgibbon
Untitled, 2020
As part of a 37 series collection known as ‘Still Life’, these drawings are inspired by a 3 month residency with the women from Rathmines Refuge centre in Dublin, Ireland. Visually responding to the complex feelings and processes when experiencing and researching about domestic abuse.
Dhara Mariani
I can’t go home, 2020
Inspired by the slip notes secretly delivered from a victim of domestic abuse. This campaign raises awareness of the many avenues that victims must take in order to safely speak out. This campaign shows how powerful a small thing such as a piece of paper or a hand gesture can be to get the help that you need.
Ross Clifford
You Can Speak About it, 2020
A blood red, bitmapped image acting as an awareness slogan within a pandemic context. The blurred image depicts the many cases that go unnoticed due to the complexity and difficulty of sharing/evidencing domestic abuse.
James Shreeve
Untitled, 2020
A figure stands in front of a yellow backdrop. Masked, wounded, cross-armed. The unfaced figure depicts the universality that those who have experienced domestic abuse face and the unity we must have to confront this violence.
Mandy Segal
Window, 2020
Picturing an image of a window recollected from the artist’s memory, the image shows the effects that domestic violence can have on children. The aggressor not only affects their victim but anyone around the situation.
Parumveer Walia
Protecting Myself, 2020
A documentary series of images captured by the artist in their day to day while enduring domestic abuse which threatens all who live in the household on top of the main victim. This resulted in the creation of a series of works, of repetitive daily ‘tasks’. The mundane and the quotidian depicts the inescapable and vicious cycle of domestic violence.
Wayne Ford
Untitled 2020
This graphic poster uses typography to ensure domestic violence is talked about yet tactfully depicting the hidden meanings behind a domestic violence case. Lies are used for survival in order to stop the abusers. We must stay vigilant and inspect every detail, no matter how faint it might be.
Gil Mualem-Doron (not apart of the competition)
“This wife belongs to Adam” 2000
I saw this mag once on etsy. It sad how ancient and religious concepts still find their way to our homes… “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” Genesis 2:23 ...and it sad when you know where can it lead to.
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