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An art exhibition drawing attention to the suffering and abuse faced by women around the world attracted more than a hundred people in support of the message.
The successful showcase, organised by the youth committee of Bahrain Women’s Union in collaboration with Art Scene, featured more than 122 expressive pieces by artists of all ages at the LEVEL 5 hub, located in Riffa Views International School.
“The amount of people who attended and also supported the event online is testimonial to a paradigm shift in the Bahraini cultural landscape as issues around women’s rights and safety have become noticeably more visible in public discourse,” said Dabya Al-Rafaei, a project manager at Art Scene.
“Such a shift certainly inspires hope that we would witness more substantial social and institutional action towards eliminating violence against women and achieving gender equality.”
The theme of the exhibition fell in line with the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, which was launched by the UN Women on November 25. It also marked the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign — an initiative of 16-days of activism concluding on December 10, which commemorates International Human Rights Day.
Mona Jassim Alaradi, one of the participants in the event, was keen to shed light on the sad situation.
“After researching about the International Day, I came across the UN website detailing the different types of abuse,” explained the 39-year-old self-taught artist and founder of Maharat Art & Crafts online platform. “I believe in what American professor Casandra Brené Brown said which is that ‘art has the power to render sorrow beautiful, make loneliness a shared experience and transform despair into hope’.”
Mona, who has volunteered at different initiatives across the kingdom, displayed her mixed media art piece Behind Closed Doors.
“Women are told that what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors,” added Mona. “There are so many different types of abuse which is why I shared those words in my art piece for all people to see and know. Remember, you are the author of your own story and no one else can tell you how the story goes.”
The exhibition featured an array of paintings, photography, installations and calligraphy conveying the theme. There were also activities throughout the event, including poetry readings by Yasmin Ali and Seham Yateem and musical performances by Noora Al Moosa and Abdulla Haji.
Noora sang three cover songs with her sister Maryam as well as performed her own emotional, original music.
“I was honoured to contribute to the event because of what it stood for,” said the 24-year-old student living in A’ali. “When you start the conversation on community issues, that’s when change can start.”
Visit @bwuyc and @artscene.bh on Instagram for details.
