Domestic violence victims in Birmingham turn to art

Dec 6 2010 by Diane Parkes, Birmingham Mail

WOMEN and children fleeing domestic violence have put paint to paper for an art exhibition.

The works, created by families who have sought refuge with Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, were put on show at Birmingham City Football Club.

More than 30 paintings were included in the Words, Images, Stories exhibition, each being a lifesize statue representing a woman or child who has escaped domestic violence and has been aided by BSWA.

Refuge manager Parminder Dhaliwal said the project was about a good deal more than art.

“It is about giving women a voice,” she said. “It can be very difficult for women who have experienced domestic violence to talk about their fears and frustrations.

“The project enabled them to express those feelings through art.”

The groups, who were based across four BSWA centres, worked with professional artists and undertook a workshop in which they created silhouettes of themselves and then added on pictures and words.

“It was focussed on the art but a lot of our staff were on hand in case any of the women wanted to break from the art and talk about some of the issues it had provoked,” said Parminder.

“We had some really interesting comments from some of the women. Some said they found it difficult to find words to express their feelings but the art allowed them to do it.