Behind The Figures Shares Women’s Untold Stories

Breeanna Poxon from The Just Saying Project in the process of hanging each artist's work, including artist Kahmaia Haines. Photo supplied

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Mackay locals will have the chance to see women’s experiences of body image, confidence and self-perception transformed into visual art when Behind the Figures opens this Saturday night.

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The new selling exhibition by The Just Saying Project will officially open on Saturday 19^th September from 5.30pm to 8pm at JSP Home of Women’s Stories on Wood Street.

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The opening will also mark the first official exhibition at The Just Saying Project’s new gallery and community space.

Behind the Figures brings together eight local visual artists, each responding to original research exploring women’s experiences of body image, confidence and the moments they have missed because of how they felt about their appearance.

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The research explores the experiences of more than 100 women and explores topics including when body shame can begin, how appearance can influence confidence and participation in life, and experiences that have helped women develop an appreciation for what their bodies can do.

JSP Director and exhibition curator Bree Poxon said the exhibition was about taking the research beyond statistics and reconnecting it with the community.

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“Every work in our gallery started as a number in a survey. A statistic about shame, or confidence, or the age a woman first felt she did not measure up,” Ms Poxon said.

“What our artists have done is take that data and give it a body again.

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“This is JSP Home of Women's Stories' first official exhibition, and I can't think of a better way to open the gallery walls than by handing the research back to the community it came from.”

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Among the eight artists is Isabella Plant, who said art could help open conversations around topics that were not always easy to discuss.

“I have always felt art is a powerful tool for relaying important messages that can sometimes go unseen or aren’t always easy to bring up in conversation,” Ms Plant said.

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“That is why from concept to process and final product I have been beaming with pride to create an impactful sculpture that helps bring the numbers found in The Just Saying Project’s research around women’s body image to the forefront of viewers' minds and conversations.”

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The exhibition will also form part of a wider program at JSP Home of Women’s Stories, with the After Hours Art: Fragments & Form sessions giving community members a chance to explore the exhibition’s themes through art.

Mrs Poxon said the exhibition was intended to encourage visitors to consider the stories behind the statistics.

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“The exhibition asks visitors to look beyond the percentages, consider the women behind the figures and recognise something of their own story in what they see,” she said.

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What? Behind the Figures Opening Night
When? Saturday 19^th September, 5.30pm to 8pm
Where? JSP Home of Women’s Stories, Shop 5, 31 Wood Street, Mackay

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For more information, visit www.thejustsayingproject.com

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