UNREDACTED is very personal to me as an artist. Growing up in a Christian (Seventh-Day Adventist) Filipino family, neither the church I attended nor my family ever discussed the subject of violence. It seemed fictional—films and television shows depicted it happening to others, but my church and my family never addressed it. Ultimately I was convinced it did indeed have to be a fictional construct—but there was still a disconnect between what I was shown through media to be real, and the silence from my church community.

Violence does not have to be physical. I believe everything from physical abuse from a partner, to mental abuse from parents is an act of violence. In some cultures (like mine), talking about violence—especially towards women, is very taboo.

I’ve only known a few people who suffered through some type of abuse in their lives. When I started this project and these women came up to me, telling me their stories, it opened up a world that younger me could never have imagined. These brave women who have shared their stories have collectively decided it’s time for their voices to be heard, that they won’t be shamed into silence. What shocked me is just how many of these stories happened within the Christian/Adventist church.

UNREDACTED is a collaboration between these women and myself. I sat with them as they shared each of their stories and experiences. Then I helped them pose, trying to capture a feeling/expression/emotion depicted in their story. I chose dark backgrounds to reinforce that these are negative experiences, and to ensure nothing distracts the viewer from the emotions on each face.

Within the Christian community, we often choose to live in a bubble and pretend these things don’t exist. I would suggest it’s time we stop arguing over clothing, jewelry, dancing, or other such things and begin to address more important topics such as this—Violence is happening to women within the church, what are we going to do about it?

My hope is that by giving a voice to these women and others who have shared experiences of violence, it will help each of them heal from the trauma, and affirm that they are not alone, that they don’t have to be scared of speaking up, and that there is a community of other survivors here to support them.