No Means No, SIR

Medium Description

Mixed Media using epoxy resin, acrylic paint, and various other materials such as a recycled wine bottle. 

Artist Description

I created this piece as a reflection of my experience as a sexual assault survivor and as a statement about consent, healing, and reclaiming your voice. 

The wine bottle represents the year (2020) that I was assaulted as well as the couple of glasses of wine that I had that night. The journal entries are recreations of quotes from my journal in the days following the attack. The copper IUD and hospital bands represent how I had a copper IUD inserted within 5 days following the attack in order to prevent pregnancy. Unfortunately, the IUD was misplaced and lodged into my uterine muscle wall, which I ultimately had to have surgically removed. The medication bottle and pills represent the Klonopin that I was prescribed months after the attack as I struggled with panic attacks. The teal background represents the official color for sexual assault awareness. 

Creating this piece was deeply therapeutic for me and it is my hope that this piece will not only help to combat victim-blaming in our society, but help other survivors of sexual assault know that they are not alone because if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.