The School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO) opened an exhibit highlighting photography as a universal medium.Along with the exhibition were Pete Muller’s photographs from Eastern Congo. Muller’s choice to tell their stories is raw and powerful.
Through photography, Muller tells the story of various Congolese female activists and women who were raped; exploring difficult topics such as sexual assault and rape on a micro scale. In the images, the women aren’t depicted as one dimensional tragic tropes. They are full-scale human beings who experience life in all facets.
The women are evocative because of their innate personhood. Artists have a responsibility to portray survivors of sexual violence as more than passive victims.
SPAO’s exhibit succeeds in this and all artists. Complex depictions of survivors initiating change in their communities happens but it is still rare.
One photo in the exhibit shows a woman pointing to her rapist, demonstrating her agency that had previously been denied. The man in the photo has been since been imprisoned.
The survivors in the photos are not passive victims, they are survivors facilitating change.
These depictions are not just commendable, they should be standard.
