5271 Days behind trauma
Screenprint and hand carving on brass
60 cm x 60 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
This work confronts the brutal reality of gender-based violence in South Africa. Based on a specific act of GBV, the rape of a woman on 9 December 2010, this work underscores the trauma inflicted on her. It functions as a visual representation of the continued psychological trauma that victims of such crimes endure. Furthermore, I aim to highlight the systemic failure of the justice system, which is meant to protect individuals in the face of violence.
Due to its historical association with strength, endurance, and resilience, I’ve used polished brass as the foundation of the work to represent the victim and her incredible strength and will to fight. A tarnish is applied to the polished surface as a symbol of the continuous erosion caused by the daily trauma resulting from the lack of a justice system. The tarnish becomes an added visual metaphor for how violence persists, etching trauma on the mind beyond visible wounds.
I included screen printing to draw from the process of exposing the screens under powerful lights as a metaphor for scrutinising and exposing the systems that are failing women and children of South Africa.
A blue patina covers the surface, symbolising the justice system and police. This represents both the system that was meant to serve and protect, and one that repeatedly failed this victim. Hand and fingerprints point to the many officials who were involved in the case and had opportunities to act, yet failed to secure justice. For 5271 days, from the date of the rape to the date of sentencing, the survivor remained behind bars of trauma while the perpetrator remained free.
Hand carving the days of trauma into the brass plate with an Okapi knife, as used by the rapist, depicts the continuous trauma and scrutiny of the structures that perpetuate injustice, interrogating how trauma is inscribed not only on the individual body but also within societal structures.