For six weeks, women supported by Bradford-based domestic abuse charity Staying Put have been exploring parts of themselves and their experiences that can often remain hidden.
Now the work they have created is going on public display at Cliffe Castle in Keighley.
The one-day Untold Stories exhibition will bring together artwork produced by women who took part in a creative programme built around the theme of “Self Portrait”.
But these are not necessarily self-portraits in the traditional sense.
Participants were encouraged to think about their physical, emotional and mental selves, their relationships and the less visible parts of their identities and experiences.
Through visual art, drama, storytelling and movement, the women were given a space to explore not simply what had happened to them, but who they are.
Each session combined creative work with reflection, before participants produced their own individual pieces using poetry, painting, sculpture and other forms of expression.
Those individual works have now been brought together for the exhibition.
Haajira, a Domestic Abuse Intervention Facilitator at Staying Put, said the project had demonstrated how creativity could allow people to communicate experiences that could otherwise be difficult to express.
She said: “Creativity is often associated with artistic talent, but the Untold Stories project reminded us that creativity is much more than that.
“Stepping into a creative space gives us permission to bring our minds, bodies and emotions into harmony, to make sense of who we are, what we have experienced and how we see the world around us.
“That process requires courage. We witnessed survivors use that courage to reclaim their power, explore their truths and express parts of themselves that may have been difficult to put into words.
“Every artwork produced represents a journey – a visible expression of their strength and identity.”
The exhibition offers the public an opportunity to see those expressions while recognising that behind each piece is an individual experience.
Rather than defining the women solely through the abuse they survived, the project has sought to explore identity, reflection and change.
Yasmin Khan, chief executive of Staying Put, said: “Untold Stories has given women the opportunity to express parts of themselves that can be difficult to put into words.
“Through art, movement, storytelling and creativity, participants have explored who they are, what they have experienced and who they are becoming.
“We are incredibly proud to showcase their work and to create a space where their voices can be seen, heard and valued.”
For visitors, the exhibition will provide a rare opportunity to encounter experiences of domestic abuse through the voices and creativity of survivors themselves.
And while domestic abuse forms part of the story behind the work, the exhibition also makes another point: the women who created it are more than what happened to them.
Untold Stories will be exhibited at Cliffe Castle in Keighley on 26 September, from 11am to 2pm.
