Trauma Stains

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Highly commended

2025
watercolour on 300 gsm paper
43 x 33 cm (3 works) and 33 x 24 cm (3 works)

Trauma stains, rendered in delicate watercolour, captures the enduring impact of intimate partner domestic violence, reaching far beyond physical injury into deep emotional harm. The phrase evokes the lingering marks left on body and psyche. While the human body is resilient, it is also fragile, and violence leaves scars that are not merely skin-deep. These wounds speak of violation — an invasion of personal safety, trust, and love.

Equally profound is the emotional vulnerability such violence creates. The body’s fragility is mirrored by the heart and mind. Domestic violence shatters the fundamental sense of safety essential to human wellbeing, fracturing trust and security. When a place meant to offer love and protection becomes a site of harm, the emotional rupture can be devastating. Survivors often endure long-lasting feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and isolation — wounds invisible to others yet as real as physical ones.

Intimate partner domestic violence is not only an assault on the body, but a violation of dignity, autonomy, and the sanctity of human life, with consequences that extend long after the violence ends.