A powerful art exhibition is confronting the crisis of violence against women and children in Australia.
Created by Australia Artist Dans Bain, The Lost Petition currently features 1024 names of lost women and children on a shroud 30 metres long and is an ongoing work.
Sadly this number continues to grow and when The Lost Petition first started in 2021, there were 898 names of women and children who’d lost their lives to male violence since 2008.
Bain says, “the Lost Petition is an uncomfortable thing to view” and that reading the names up close is confronting.”
For this reason, she sees the art sending “an important message to the families of loved ones and survivors that they matter.”
“I’d felt despair at the rate at which men were murdering women and children,” says Bain. “This important work is informed by the research of award-winning journalist and ani-violence advocate Sherele Moody of The RED HEART Campaign and the Australian Femicide and Child Death Map,” says Bain.
While the shroud of names has been many places, including Parliament House and March for Justice, it’s currently in an art exhibit on display at Her Place Women’s Museum in East Melbourne Victoria– Australia’s only fully dedicated museum to women, celebrating their role in shaping the nation.
It will be showcased at Her Place Museum until December 4, 2022.
Along with the shroud of handwritten names, the exhibition features a reflective installation called “The Living Room, photos and stories of women and children lost to violence with the voices of their families, a special red heart tribute to the 75 lives lost this year and other interactive elements for visitor engagement.
The Museum Chair, Mary Delahunty says, “Bain’s handwritten work on a domestic artefact carries a shocking power.”
Delahunty adds that this artwork is a “call to action for all of us and adds to the Museum’s Her Voice year of activism that began with Grace Tame at Her Place Museum.”
In addition to creating The Lost Petition, Bain has spent several years co-ordinating and participating in a feminist group to exhibit artworks annually for International Women’s Day in Hosier Lane, Melbourne.
Bain’s work explores cultural engagement, personal narratives as well as social justice issues and it’s her hope that “The Lost Petition can amplify those who cannot be heard, it is about giving physical space to reflect and remember lives that have been stolen.”
For support for domestic and sexual violence, please call:
· 1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732
· Women’s Crisis Line: 1800 811 811
· Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491
· Mensline: 1300 789 978
· Lifeline (24-hour Crisis Line): 131 114