Translation 'Open the pockets, discover the story'.
What happens when your story is too painful for others to bear? When people turn away, close their eyes, and you’re left feeling unseen?
Art can be a powerful way to share these stories. It doesn’t just express what words can’t; it can also soften the intensity just enough to allow others to stay present. It invites connection where silence once lived.
This project was created in collaboration with 'Stichting Spotlight', an organization by and for survivors of organized (child) abuse.
This work is a result of a co-creation process together with Vicky, a survivor of violence in both her childhood and adult life. Vicky uses art as a way to process her experiences. Her works are raw, honest, and often graphic: so much so that many viewers couldn’t face them. They were too direct, too bloody, too real.
My artistic response was to create a kind of shield: a protective layer placed over her work. This interactive piece invites the viewer to slowly uncover the story, one pocket at a time. Each section can be opened individually, allowing people to decide for themselves what they’re ready to see, and when to stop.
By creating space for curiosity rather than overwhelm, the work gently invites people in, making space for empathy, not avoidance.
An after movie about the project, made by Stichting Spotlight
Exhibitions:
Part of a traveling exhibition 'Representatie van het onvoorstelbare':
- Academie Minerva Groningen: November 2024.
- Hanze Hogeschool Groningen, department social work: April 2025.