UMHLANGA artist, Devika Pillay, said one of the driving forces behind her exhibition titled ‘Breaking the Silence’ was to bring awareness to the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV), teenage and femicide in the country.
Pillay, the owner of the Define Art Gallery Studio, is currently exhibiting her work in her gallery space based at The Pearls Mall in uMhlanga.
The exhibition which also features the work of fellow artist Magrain Moodley is open to the public and runs until the end of August.
Read also: Michaela makes a difference to the community
“August is Women’s Month so there is a special significance to this exhibition. Both Magrain and I wanted to bring awareness on the current situation in our country, with escalating teenage pregnancies, rape, abuse and femicide. It’s not for the faint hearted, but it is a reality we need to examine and confront. Margrain’s artwork portrays this issue with her sculptural reliefs and paintings and I’ve addressed these issues in pencil and oil sketches.
“Gender-based violence knows no socio-economic sector and it knows no educational sector, it is part and parcel of every part of our society. This is something close to my heart and as a registered nurse there were times when women going through this cycle of violence were too scared to talk. They eventually reached a point where they couldn’t take it anymore and reach breaking point where they break that silence, hence the name of the exhibition.
The exhibition space is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00.
For more information visit www.defineartgallery.co.za/.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).