This exhibition is helping Kosovo’s wartime rape survivors heal through art

An exhibition featuring work from women who survived sexual violence during the Yugoslav Wars has opened its doors in Pristina.

Showing at the capital’s Kosovo Museum, Colours of Our Souls asked survivors to paint the world “as they wished it to be.” Most were unable to sign their work or attend the exhibition opening due to severe social stigma still faced by survivors in Kosovo today.

The organisers behind the project, UN Women, said that the exhibition served display as a call for peace, as well as helping survivors break down prejudice and reclaim their rights.

“The images reflect the hope for a better and more peaceful future for women, who continue to face stigma and violence,” said Ulrika Richardson, United Nations Development Coordinator in Kosovo, who linked the exhibition to the healing power of art.

“This is a special moment in the work of our institution,” the Kosovo Museum wrote on Facebook. “We provided a platform for messages for peace, understanding and the end of barriers in the hearts and minds of our society.”

“The survivors of sexual violence in the last war deserve far more support than what they have received from the state, and from society as a whole, so far. It is the museum’s duty to give them a platform to tell their stories.”

All of the works on display is avaliable to buy, with all revenue going to the artists.