In HerStory, ten women from different regions of Brazil come together with artist Panmela Castro to share their stories and report violence against women in Brazil.

 

Each with their own trajectory, origin, and experiences, the women portrayed here are willing to share with the public what they have endured, confronting sexism and domestic violence. They recount their narratives, their own experiences, as protagonists of their own paths. Their experiences go beyond the individual and their own pain. They overflow and subvert that pain, making room for other meanings and inspirations.

 

Furthermore, each of them symbolizes crucial topics related to facing violence against women and protection tools in Brazil, such as women's history, gender construction, structural sexism, physical violence, psychological violence, moral violence, property violence, sexual violence, the Maria da Penha Law, and the Ligue 180 hotline.

 

The works in this exhibition, painted live with the portrayed women posing for the artist, allow the audience to witness the process. Thus, the portraits take shape through broad and swift brushstrokes, a result of this moment of encounter.

 

As a survivor of domestic violence, Panmela constantly receives stories from women who share their experiences in search of professional assistance, a space to vent and heal. Therefore, the exchanges between the artist and the audience form the exhibition.

 

The portraits and the narratives are not separate; on the contrary, they hold the same importance, revealing the possibilities of art and activism. Together, they promote identification, reflection, but also confront us with the urgency to report and promote structural changes in a country that has alarming data on domestic violence.

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- Maybel Sulamita (Curator)