My art is primarily focused on education and empowerment of women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. As a rape victim, I started making art around this topic to help me heal and work through my own feelings. My art resonates beyond my own experiences in helping other victims heal and understand what happened to them.
My art is personal, controversial, and challenging to its viewers. I challenge my viewers to embrace the discomfort in what they see/experience. I work to empower women and educate the public about the topic of rape.
In the rape culture that structures our society today, rape is seen as very black and white topic; visualized as a stranger pushing a women against a wall in a dark alleyway and taking her violently. Although this does happen, the majority of rapes are committed by someone who the victim knows and trusts. This kind of rape that is not talked about enough, and victims seldom come forward to share their story because it is seen as such a taboo topic. In a world where victim blaming and questioning is the first reaction to an accusation, victims are terrified to admit what happened to them.
This is what I want to combat with my art. Many of my artworks are inspired by victims’ stories so that victims feel empowered and confident in sharing their experiences, framing rape as topic that we are not afraid to talk about.