Under the soft evening lights of Ani Art Academy, Anguilla’s creative community came together on Sunday, 7th December 2025 for a powerful fusion of art and advocacy. The “Draw the Line Against Gender-Based Violence Exhibition and Competition” — a collaboration between the Gender Affairs Unit, the Department of Youth and Culture through Malliouhana Fest 2025, and Ani Art Academy – unfolded as one of the island’s most stirring events held during the global 16 Days of Activism campaign, observed annually from 25 November to 10 December.
The tagline –“Art that Speaks. Art that Heals. Art that Transforms.” – echoed throughout the gallery, carried by artworks that spoke boldly of pain, resilience, and the urgent need for cultural transformation.
The competition invited artists aged 15 and over to interpret how Anguilla can shift from silence and injustice to respect, accountability, and care. Entries spanned Fine Art and Mixed Media and Installations — each category judged on creativity, relevance to the theme, technical skill, and emotional impact.
Dean of Ani Art Academy, Taffari Crawford, expressed pride in hosting the exhibition. “I am elated to present, along with the DYC, the Art Arise competition,” he said. “We have some really nice pieces of a diverse range. Hopefully, this will inspire more people to participate next year.” Despite modest participant numbers, the works were strikingly personal. Many artists used the platform to express lived experiences or explore aspects of gender-based violence often overlooked.
Competitor, Lancer Lloyd, presented “Comminuted Hope”, a piece shaped by the devastating ripple effects of gun violence. “My inspiration… was partly the violence that happens in Anguilla, gun violence and gun crime in general,” Lloyd explained. “It has a lasting effect on all of the lives of children in the home, wives in the home… the silent sufferers. I wanted to depict the stark realities of what we can miss because of gun violence.”
Her piece features three bone-like shards shattered by a bullet, each representing family, romantic life, and peace of mind — fragile elements of life that violence can fracture instantly. Despite not being Anguillian, Lloyd noted that living here had made the island’s struggles “imprint” on her deeply.
Adrian Royal, whose painting “Silent Chains” portrays a woman in visible pain yet determined resistance, revealed the deeply personal story behind his work. “It is based on my mother’s story. We were sadly victims of abuse by my father. Thank God, we overcame it,” he said. The open eyes of the painting’s subject symbolise perseverance. “She still keeps standing up… She still has faith that she can get free.”
Royal’s technique blended watercolour and acrylics, using soft washes to create smoke-like shadowing—a visual representation of emotional suffocation gradually breaking apart.
Navene Mairyshaw presented “The Perfect Prize”, an acrylic work exploring a seldom-highlighted dimension of gender-based violence: abuse of men. “When we think about gender-based violence, we think about females… but men also go through the same things,” she said. Her painting depicts a man trapped within a relationship that appears functional from the outside but is emotionally destructive within. “He can’t speak, he can’t share his heart… he can’t be himself.”
Her daughter, Eiolani Mairyshaw, also competed, unexpectedly following her mother into the event. Eiolani’s piece, “Control” was a mixed-media artwork featuring a mouse constricted by a coiled snake. “The mouse represents the individual whose vulnerability is exposed,” she explained. The snake symbolises coercive control. Using origami, paint and mod podge, she crafted a symbolic scene of suffocation. “I like to do freeform things like origami… that’s why I decided to put it into a piece.”
Additional pieces on display added further depth to the exhibition’s emotional landscape, including “Withered Flowers” by Johandri Perez Ventura, a work that evoked a haunting sense of fragility, forced silence, and loss. Anna Lynch’s “Support System” also drew significant attention: a striking installation featuring a wedding dress crafted from coffee filters, gauze, and bandages. The unconventional materials symbolised the delicate balance between hope and despair, capturing the complex reality of how a woman with a history of abuse can still move toward healing and discover healthy love in its aftermath.
Her Excellency the Governor, Julia Crouch, attended the exhibition and assisted in presenting the awards following deliberations by the judging panel.
The winners were announced to warm applause, with the Fine Art/Mixed Media category seeing first place awarded to Lancer Lloyd, who received EC$1,200, followed by Meridith Gumbs in second place with EC$1,000 and the added distinction of winning the People’s Choice Award, while third place went to Navene Mairyshaw, who received EC$800. In the Installations/Creative Concepts category, Eiolani Mairyshaw secured first place with a prize of EC$1,200 and also captured the People’s Choice Award, while second place was earned by Anna Lynch, who received EC$1,000.
All artists also received participation certificates, underscoring the event’s commitment not only to recognition but to community encouragement and growth.
Beyond the prizes, the evening at Ani Art Academy achieved something more profound: it provided a platform for truth-telling, courage, vulnerability, and community reflection. The voices shared — through both paint, sculpture and more — reminded attendees that activism is not only protest; it is also expression, connection, and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.
By Janissa Fleming