Pink Collar Gallery - Reimagine - JACKIE SEWELL ARTIST

‘Suffocation’.

Women are often killed by someone they know and have a close relationship with. The constant manipulation in their lives, the fear of violence and never actually feeling safe. The mind games and abuse, the uncertainty between life and death.  These women are crushed by men, debilitated by their strength and their overpowering control. The restrictions, the jealousy, and the insecurities that men inflict on women. The women are constantly made to feel guilty for causing the men to behave in the way they do. Blaming themselves and trying to compensate for their horrific behaviour. Women feel stifled and suffocated in this situation. Women mask what is going on in their lives because they are embarrassed that it is happening to them, they make excuses until it is too late……

My work is going to be a series of death masks, made with papier Mache and plastic carrier bags. The carrier bag is a huge part of the work that I have produced in recent years.
Even though it isn’t connected to femicide, the carrier bag in recent years has been called the death mask.
I am going to produce several masks to represent a women’s life, a femicide life.  Using the graphics on the bags to describe stages in their lives, combined with text that as part of the mask but also using text, I will create a circle of life.
1. The Tree of life
2. It's a Girl
3. Living life
4. Food of life
5. Fruit of love
6. Bitter Sweet
7. Blood
8. Death
With the recent death of Sarah Everard, this brought women onto the street, making this subject prominent in the news. All but for a short amount of time, highlighting this issue. I would like to exhibit my work at universities, as rape against women has risen 10-fold in these establishments over the last couple of years. is this breeding a type of man, that don’t understand the word NO and that could eventually murder. Women at university are at the beginning of their lives, living independently and making decisions for themselves. Some are nervous and vulnerable others are confident, but all have insecurities.  This is the audience I would like to target.

Unfortunately due to illness I only manage to produce one mask, all the images were still exhibited on the one line gallery, exhibition