I’m Zina, I’m currently in my first year of a Fine Art degree at Chelsea College of Arts London. My practice is quite personal - I make art around subjects or feelings that I have experienced. I take inspiration in my work from confessional artists like Tracy Ermin, Sophie Calle and Gillian Wearing.
The idea for this piece came from thinking about the power dynamic that exists between men and woman/non-binary people.
Most of this I witnessed in my time working in specific restaurants and clubs. I realized men would abuse their power — in any way they could — I found that it tends to be fuelled by money and how much they have. This, in addition to my personal experiences with sexual assault, caused me to consider how we can take this power back from them. How can we flip the power dynamic back to us?
Most sexual assault/harassment cases are not reported and if they are, it’s often swept under the rug.
Saying the names of the people who have done this to us, will give us the power - even if it’s just first names.
I also realized by talking to the people around me, that this is not just my story to tell. This experience is so universal and there is more strength in numbers. This is what inspired me to start collecting names from other people. The form I’ve set up is anonymous and I am collecting only first names in order to protect the identity of the survivors.
I set up the form about a week ago and I am currently at 157 submissions, however I feel like it has the ability to grow so much more. After I’ve collected enough names, I will use them to create a piece. I’m not sure yet how this will develop as it depends on how many names I receive, but
...the most important part is the statement that we are making.
This piece will probably be exhibited somewhere in London over the next few months. If you want to keep up to date with the process and the end result of the piece, I will be updating this on @namehim.uk on instagram.
Link to the form: https://tinyurl.com/namehimdotuk