MAVC Gozo VPA School takes part to the 16 Days of Activism against Domestic Violence Campaign

On Thursday 25th of November 2021, the Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri along with the Head of the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College, Victor Galea and the Head of the Gozo Visual and Performing Art School, Vince Caruana, inaugurated the art exhibition for the Gozo segment of the “16 Days of Activism against Domestic Violence” campaign.

The sixteen artworks, voicing in words and images, a strong social commitment against Domestic Violence, have been created by the school’s Digital Art Students under the vision and coordination of Digital Art Teacher Shawn Cauchi.

During the opening ceremony, Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri said “the campaign is meant to bring a message to anyone passing through circumstances of domestic violence, empowering them to take action and make decisive steps to get help”. Talking to the students about their excellent work the Minister added that “as the years go by, digital art is being recognised more and more as an art in its right. Its many uses allow to communicate directly to the viewer in a mix of text and images which is powerful and immediate.”

Digital Art Teacher Shawn Cauchi explained that “the project, took over two months to realise. Each of the sixteen panels deals with a different aspect of gender-based violence, with the idea of lending a hand to the victims of such abuse. Its visual inspiration comes from Pop Art while the colours of the artwork are centred on this year’s international theme ‘Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!’”.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The 16 art pieces will be displayed through Republic Street in Victoria, Gozo, with an art piece added each day of the campaign.