I started this project about a year ago, thinking about a way to show that we are connected and are not in this alone.
Survivors of (sexual) abuse often feel lonely and don’t talk about what has happened due to shame and taboos. Somehow we get to feel shame, whereas we are not guilty.
The poem on the bodies is inspired by the poem Her Skin by Iranian-Irish poet Nikita Gill.
My body is not a battleground
Did you really think your hands on my body would diminish my worth?
Your guilt does not belong to me
I am not ashamed
I will speak up
I will rise
I will ascend
Like a battlecry
It is the biggest project I ever did, working together with 5 models and painting almost life-size on linen of 2 x 1,5 meters . I’m currently working on a video about the process and becoming of this painting!
A huge thanks for the models Rozanne, Pom, Donya and two anonymous who are working on this project with me. I could not have done this without you.
Title
Material and size
Artist
Status
My body is not a battleground
Oil on linen, 195x155cm
Rachel Climo
Not for sale – artist’s collection