Feminist artists and activists challenge narrative around femicide through art
Harmful Strategies Used in the Media to Portray Femicide
The article highlights how mass media continues to perpetrate violence against women even after they have been killed. Some of these strategies mentioned in the article include: underrepresenting certain victims of femicide, reproducing explicit and gory images of the victim's body, and blaming the victim for their own death. These tactics used by the media fail to recognize the global issue of violence against women and fail to hold the perpetrators accountable for their violence.
Examples of Feminist Art Activism That Challenges Media
Feminist activists in Mexico have made recently made national news for using colour graffiti to intervene in national monuments and public art, bathing public officials in pink glitter, hosting mass song and dance performances, and painting over portraits of historical male figures. Since January 2017, feminist collectives in Quintana Roo have been painting murals as a way to honor victims of femicide. These activists demonstrate how art can be used to visibilize and honour victims of femicide, as well as to spark discussions about how we understand and address femicide in our societies. The feminist activists in this article use art to disrupt, change and gain control of the narrative of femicide by placing blame on the perpetrator, where it rightfully belongs.