An artistic exposition on sexualised violence experienced by girls, boys and women – against the protection of perpetrators
Affected women and women's movements carried the knowledge about mortifying, destructive, sexualisierte power in political public and have generated social explanation need and political action compulsion over and over again. In many European countries offers of help and consultation offers have originated. Still: 30 years of public and silence break, 30 years of knowledge about causes and magnitude of sexual power to girl and boy = are 30 years without adequate consequence for the conclusion that the magnitude of the affected persons refers to the magnitude of the culprits. How is this possible?
Acceptance, protection and integration of the culprits, suffocating reality, daily.
The yearlong educational work against sexual harassment has led to the fact, that today the persons concerned are believed. There is also no doubt that the perpetrators are increasingly called to account by the Justice. But these are no more than a fraction. The official silence and the silence of the families legitimates and tolerates the sexual harassment of the perpetrators, is the fertile soil for even more sexual harassment against girls, women and boys. The perpetrators can still lull themselves into a false sense of security.
To create art is always an act of balance between the personal point of view of things and the way to make them seen for others. Therefore art is building a bridge between the individual and the society. We present our work to the topic “sexual harassment” with the knowledge, that we contribute to the task, that art has in our point of view, which is to declare sociopolitical and with great exactness and seriousness to show what is easily and most gladly overseen:
- The horror and at the same time the normality of the violence
- The socially anchored culprit's protection
- The injuries, but also the survival courage and the strength of the affected persons
Our art is uncomfortable, our art is political. We see ourselves in the tradition of Niki de Saint Phalle, which threw out her anger and her disdain with sharp ammunition, onto paintings – so called alters (first in 1961), to express the trauma of her childhood, the rape through her father at the age of 11 years in an artistic way. As free-lance artists we examined independently from each other in an artistic way sexual harassment against girls, boys and women and the social protection of the perpetrators. We bring our mutuality’s in this general exhibition together, that also leaves room for the most diverse and varied point of views, experiences and ways of expression for the individual artist. It is our goal to step into communication with our artistic work and texts, for the public space, created for visibleness, we want to encourage to ones own language.
„Hello, to many, many thanks for the exhibition. To see, there are many, is a fright and also a consolation. I do not know yet very long, "what is possibly wrong with me" - for 1 1/2 years. My symptom history makes a sense, since clearer recollections are there, a sad sense which frightens me often almost to death, over and over again. It is difficult, however, the mud, pains and the fear get name. It has cost me to overcoming to enter the church, I am a "priest's child". However, I find this place of issue important. It is also difficult for me, the thoughts to show the feelings. But there is an important step for me. Thank you for such a possibility.“ H. Sep. In 2004
Consciously we choose our places of issue beyond the museum company to reach the most different target groups from a wide population with publicly used places. We work together with our cooperation partners in the towns closely by the planning of the supporting programme. Besides, the supporting programme is directed at youngsters and adults and deepens society-political questions, promotes to one the individual possibilities of the processing and allows common forms of the action to the other.
In continual dissolving of the silence, the change of the isolation of the affected persons, more continuously of preventive offers for every girl and every boy the change potentials to the circulation of power an end lie to place. Our exhibition is a contribution to it. The public resonance and the very personal feedbacks show us that we encourage many affected persons, youngsters, adults and older people - who maybe speak for the first time of self-experienced sexual power - strengthen and sensitise. Tenor of many statements of visitors and guests is the statement not to be able to edge out the commonness of sexualisierter power in her big range any more and to want to position himself to her.
Our idea is on the way: On so many ways, how people can be reached and encourage to decide on glance and action. Where language has her borders, an artistic work provides quite an other clearness and presence which makes looking away impossible, encourages the subject to reflect where it belongs: because in the unavoidable discussion with ourselves and our action.
Renate Bühn, Maria Mathieu, Heike Pich
