The 2022 exhibition Expression of Freedom used art to share the experiences of domestic-abuse survivors and open public discussion during the 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence.
Presented at Leicester’s Highcross Shopping Centre, the project involved local artists, De Montfort University students and council support services.
Work developed through survivor-led workshops
The exhibition emerged from a second phase of creative workshops involving survivors, young people and other participants across Leicester and Leicestershire.
The process explored abuse within relationships while placing equal attention on recovery, agency and life beyond violence.
Fashion lecturer Jo Cope worked with design and communication students to find visual forms capable of reaching people in a public shopping environment.
A call to action outside a specialist venue
The location made the work accessible to visitors who had not planned to attend an art exhibition or a campaign event.
The display sought to confront silence around domestic abuse, communicate support to people currently experiencing it and recognise the strength of those rebuilding their lives.
The project was developed by Leicestershire County Council’s Children and Family Wellbeing Service with Leicester City Council and De Montfort University.
Expression of Freedom treated art as a form of public communication shaped by survivors rather than an illustration added after their stories had been collected.
Its strongest element was the movement from workshop to public space. Private experiences became visible without being reduced to spectacle, and the exhibition connected creative practice with practical systems of support.