UNWANTED STORIES
Designed by Kelly VanDrisse, a Graphic Designer & Photographer who graduated from the University of North Dakota with a BFA in Graphic Design.
Thank you for taking the time to read these victims' stories. Below is my artist statement about what the solo exhibition was about and the process.
Artist Statement:
The visuals in this show are explicit, raw and will not only hurt
your eyes, but hurt your heart. This is a concept I have
passionately explored over the past year and feel as though it is
not discussed nearly as much as it should. I conducted a survey
that allowed women to anonymously tell me their stories of any
unwanted sexual encounters they have faced. The survey also
asked if they have ever told their stories before and why or why
not. These injustices are acts of sexual harassment, molestation,
rape, and more that you will read about uncensored.
No matter how much publicity highlights these unwanted and
extremely violating sexual encounters, it still continues to happen. It
saddens me that so many people experience this every single day.
This has been an on-going issue with women in society, constantly
in the news, seen around campuses, at work, and even happening
within relationships and families. According to www.nsvrc.org, 20-25%
of college women are victims of forced sex during their time in
college. Along with that, more than 90% of sexual assault victims on
college campuses do not report the assault. It’s unthinkable to
imagine how many more instances have occurred that we don’t
even know about. It is a flaw in our society that reporting such
instances or experiences have become not only normalized, but
also generalized and not taken seriously. It’s understandable to be
skeptical because there are individuals who have lied about an
unwanted sexual encounter. Although, it does not mean that
there are not real stories out there. Men are also affected by these
events, but due to the overwhelming responses from women I chose
to focus on their stories for this show.
This survey opened my eyes greatly to how common women face
these unwanted sexual encounters. This body of work is meant to
tell their stories, uncensored, and expose viewers to the reality. I
encourage you to keep an open mind and simply listen to these
women who have trusted me to tell their stories. Though the
content is painful to read and disheartening, I want to get their
tragedies out there and bring awareness to this major issue in hopes
that it opens the eyes, minds, and hearts of viewers.
“I share my story because unwanted sexual encounters have
become far too normal.” - Anonymous Woman
These are some images of the displayed gallery and myself, Kelly VanDrisse!
