ART IS FREEDOM – A conversation with a survivor of modern day slavery
Over the summer Create partnered with law firm, Ashurst and crisis charity, Hestia to deliver a series of painting workshops with survivors of modern slavery. Hosted at Ashurst, these workshops where part of Hestia’s Art is Freedom project, which empowers survivors to use creativity as a means of self-expression and healing.
As part of the project, participants’ artwork will be presented as part of Hestia’s Art is Freedom Exhibition, held to raise awareness of Anti-Slavery Day. This year, the exhibition will run from 7- 20 October 2024 at Trafalgar Square, Waterloo Station and Victoria Station. The exhibition also took over the Piccadilly lights on the morning of 18 October to mark Anti-Slavery Day, with artworks accompanied by the message, ‘ The art is free, and now so are the artists.’
Under the guidance of our professional Create artist Rachel McGivern, participants created stunning paintings in response to the theme ‘unlocked’.
Below is an interview with one of the participants, who chose to remain anonymous.
HOW CREATIVITY HEALS
“[Coming into the project] my brain was very empty because I was very heavy and I was so tired with myself and with my medicine. [This project] has given me a way to live a life like sailing on water. [Create] taught me and showed me a way to come out of the dark room I was in. I’m very thankful for Create and for the art [workshops].”
“I continue to share because you need to have courage to break these things. Break the silence and come out free, share with others, you’ll find a solution. Which we have a solution for this.”
“I’ll never finish creating. Until I die, I create and I will never finish. I take inspiration from the things I experience around me.”
BEING A SURVIVOR
Freedom is a big word. It’s very important for me. All I hope is that these words will come true.
“If you are suffering, tell people that you are suffering. I’m still thinking about how I was suffering. No one understands my pain in my country. They neglect me, torture me, beat me, they never showed me love, which I get from this country.
“[I curated a painting of] myself and my friend. We are still looking for our freedom, which we don’t have right now but we are looking for this. We are swimming in a big sea and we still haven’t reached our boat yet. We are still swimming and still struggling.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ART IS FREEDOM EXHIBITION
“[The theme unlocked] is very beautiful and it’s quite heavy because I’m still looking for the key to unlock myself from the situation that I am currently in.”
“It’s a big message for me. I’m happy to share my art picture in this exhibition. I want to share with everyone, please don’t sleep in darkroom. Come out and see the sun. Fight for yourself. Never give up. Fight for yourself, even though life is hard. I came here to find a safe place to live and I’m safe. Yes, I’m safe. All my paintings are about birds and butterflies. When I was so small, I couldn’t run to catch butterflies because someone abused me and I couldn’t fight by myself. So now that I’m here, I’ve come to live the rest of my life in the happiest of moments.”
“I’m happy to collaborate with the group. Everyone is taking their own big step, they have their own motivation on their mind and we can learn from each other and how each of us struggle, how we can help each other, and how we can be friendly to one another.”
