Malaysians tend to treat domestic abuse as a personal problem to be resolved within the family. With emotional and sexual abuse considered a private matter between spouses. Even as domestic violence rose by 43.6% as of last year (according to the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development), many cases went unreported, and awareness remained low about what abuse sufferers go through.

We aimed to bridge this gap between personal and public. Our two key objectives: 1) give these women a safe and anonymous – yet impactful – way to reach out to the community, and 2) engage the public in a way that garners empathy leading to awareness and action.

Ceramic: a challenging but perfect material

The sculpting material for the busts was chosen for a reason. Ceramic looks strong but is fragile. This perfectly mirrored the state of many abused women: strong and smiling on the surface, but secretly threatened and vulnerable.

How, when and where

This low-budget campaign began small, with 12 hand-sculpted busts on display from 1 July to 25 September 2015. Putting on the attached headphones lets you hear each woman’s confession. There is also a small hole in the back so one can peer into the woman’s head to see her dark secret.

These ceramic ladies made their first appearance a shopping mall that often hosts arts and cultural events. However, they were not placed in one of the mall’s designated galleries but out in the open – fitting, as we wanted to expose the truth of domestic violence and bring it out of enclosed spaces into the light.