Valérie Mesquita

I found that during my research, I discovered plenty of interesting topics however they differ greatly from one another. From reflections and landscape to domestic abuse, they are topics in which i would like to experiment with however i’m not quite sure as to how i can connect them. Thus, i have decided to predominantly focus on the issue of domestic abuse specifically looking at the photographer… She created staged images representing those who have been victimized by domestic abuse.

I find her work particularly interesting due to the fact that she stages her images and she has full controll of what she is doing and why. She tends to use various staged images in a collaged manner and although rare within the photographic community, i find it particularly powerful when applying it to her work.

—————-

I have found a few inspirational photographers during my study and research of domestic abuse, one of those artists is called Valérie Mesquita .

Her project entitled ‘Just Between Us’, is an independent photography project. She produced this body of work because she was someone who has had enough of hearing stories about women who are victims of violence inside their own homes — stories often about very close and dear people. After she researched the subject and conversations with many women. Conversations about suffering acts of violence and not telling anyone, about suffering and speaking about it about the devastating effect these events have in a person’s life, about seeking help, about fear, about guilt, about feeling impotent, about silence, about all the complexities which this theme englobes — this project was the way Valerie took a stand to say “I don’t agree”.

She stated clearly that her intention wasn’t to offer answers but in stead to distribute and generate discussions on the subject. Thus she therefore stated that her work wasn’t a campaign, but a reflection on theme which isn’t given enough attention in her home town (in Brazil).

Something that i have personally emphasise within on of my first blog posts about domestic violence is the fact that there are also children, elderly people and men who suffer physical abuse at home. However, this particular project emphasises and deals exclusively with domestic abuse against women. It occurs in all social spheres and in all age groups and Valerie states that it is often closer than we can imagine, which i believe to be very true. ‘ The numbers are frightening.’

All women photographed within this body of work are actresses, but they are portraying real life situations. ‘We aren’t talking, therefore, about specific people, specific cases. These characters are a representation of a huge and complex context which affects many people and which must be discussed.’

These images are a form of protest.

This is exactly what values I want to portray throughout my own body of work. Her work and representations fit accordingly to my ideas and plans and Valerie has inspired me greatly when connecting to her work contextually.

On this website, I found some statements that Valerie had obviously heard before and they are all upsetting and just unbelievable. Here are a selection of them :

It’s ok. It was my fault.

I have nowhere else to go.

I’ve waited for him to change. It’s been eleven years now.

It started when I first got pregnant.

My mother asked me what I had done to cause this.

I haven’t told anyone.

I’m afraid to go out, to walk the streets.

I still love him.

https://d10rp68l4anj4z.cloudfront.net/projects/22086-just-between-us

Her images are simple portraits of the women who have been victimized, still with injuries noticeable on their faces and bodies. These image I find are very powerful and although they are all portraits, they are portraits in which show the victims story through their expressions, and they are portraits in which show the reality of the aftermath of these domestic situations.

Here are a selection of her images: