Not quite hidden

Violence against women is endemic in South Africa. Data on femicide, rape and domestic violence demonstrate the escalating rates of abuse and femicide. My work engages with constructed masks and costumes photographed in site specific areas. It concerns the hidden personae of victims who are concealed behind masks and costumes, and yet reveals hints of their abuse. Irrespective of efforts to conceal it, traces of the abuse always emerge. I aim to engage not only the empathy of viewers, but call for increased social engagement against this scourge.