16 Days of Activism
The City of Adelaide acknowledges the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November and the 16 days of activism that follows, culminating on Human Rights Day on 10 December. Started in 1991 by activists, the 16 Days of Activism Campaign is used around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
To find out more about the campaign visit 16 Days Campaign.
I am NOT your Doormat, 2024 by Jane Skeer
Public Art has the power to connect people, to share messages and to encourage conversation and action.
This year's temporary artwork installation I am NOT your Doormat is by South Australian artist Jane Skeer and can be viewed between the City of Adelaide on Pirie Street and Pilgrim Church in Paul Kelly Lane for the duration of the 16 days of Activism in 2024.
This installation of 150 doormats draws attention to family and domestic violence as a public issue that we each have a responsibility to speak out against #Noexcuse, Unite to End Violence Against Women for the duration of the 16 Days of Activism in 2024 (25 November – 10 December).
Artist statement
Each of us must draw strength from our rage.
From a past of silence, I now give myself the freedom to speak and to listen. I carry with me the weight of my years of quiet, but as I approach sixty, I stride forward with newfound strength and conviction. I speak now not just as a woman, but as a sister, a mother, and a grandmother, each role adding to my wealth of lived experiences, both joyful and painful. I look upon myself with pride, acknowledging my resilience and growth.
Every woman has a story, and not all stories get told. I write my truths today for visibility and reparation, and I, as Audre Lorde describes, “transfer silence into language and action.”[1]
This transformation is a powerful tool for change, and it gives me hope for a better future.
Writing has become an integral part of my artistic journey, bridging the gap between reflection and creation. I delve into my past to make sense of my life, to understand my place in society, and to navigate my circumstances. My weighty past serves as the fuel for my creative fire. I confront my vulnerabilities in my work, knowing that they will not weaken me, but rather, they will empower me. The work I produce is a direct response to my life's story.
I am NOT your Doormat works to make intimacy political, turning the private space into public space. No one person should feel threatened inside their own home. Where the house used to symbolise isolation and alienation, I am using it as inspiration to reinvent this world, particularly for women.
[1] Audre Lorde, When I Dare to Be Powerful, 003 edn (Great Britain: Penguin Random House, 2007), p 2.
Artist biography
Jane Skeer is an award-winning South Australian artist who has exhibited work throughout Australia and Internationally.
Graduating from Adelaide Central School of Art in 2015, featuring in the National Graduate Exhibition, 2016 at PICA. Skeer received the 2018 Emerging Visual Artist of the Year at the Adelaide Critics Circle, was a finalist in the 2019 Churchie National Emerging Art Prize at IMA, in Brisbane and is a finalist for the 2024 Fisher Ghost Art Award and the 2025 Heysen Sculpture Biennial.
Completing artist residencies in Kerala, India and Kangaroo Island, (2020), she recently travelled to Manhattan, New York to exhibit in a nine-week program with House of Tyres.
Skeer is now living in Glasgow, studying for a Master of Fine Arts at Glasgow School of Arts as the recipient of the 2022 Anne and Gordon Samstag Scholarship.
City of Adelaide projects
Demand a Better World for Women and Girls - Art installation
A temporary installation of 51 pairs of shoes worn and donated by women with lived experience of domestic and family violence was displayed over the weekend, 25-26 November 2023, in Adelaide’s CBD, along Francis Street between Rundle Mall and the City Library.
This temporary installation was designed to invite City visitors to consider the shocking statistics, to reflect on the causes, to find out more, and to prompt conversations and take action that could change behaviours and save lives.
Each pair of shoes represented a woman killed through gendered violence in Australia so far in 2023.
Statistics used in the display were supplied by Destroy the Joint and accurate as of 20 November 2023.
With thanks to project partner Catherine House, an organisation supporting women experiencing Domestic and Family Violence and Homelessness in South Australia, who supplied shoes donated by clients and supporters.
Benches of Hope
Benches across the north, southeast and southwest of the city were painted during workshops as part of Benches of Hope.
The 5 benches are located at:
- 86 Sturt Street, Adelaide (near Russell Street intersection)
- 160 Sturt Street, Adelaide (next to Erb & Flo cafe)
- 221 Sturt Street, Adelaide (in front of Sturt Street Primary School)
- 178 Tynte Street, North Adelaide (in front of North Adelaide Community Centre)
- 269 Halifax Street, Adelaide (opposite Cibo Café, Hutt St intersection)
"Painting the bench to bring awareness to International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women brought so much fun, joy and happiness whist painting these Benches of Hope that I almost forgot the reason we were painting them."
– Bronwyn, North Adelaide resident
“The graduating students at Sturt Street Community School were very excited to have the opportunity to work with Leah and learn new skills. They were very sensitive to the reasons for painting the bench and will cherish the memory of doing this permanent artwork in their final weeks of their primary school lives. I also enjoyed having an opportunity to paint the bus seat on the corner of Halifax and Hutt Street. It was especially rewarding having people pass by and comment on how colourful it was and ask questions about the reason for painting it. It was a fun experience to be involved in and work along the City of Adelaide council to raise awareness of violence against women.”
– Lyn, Sturt Street Community School
Support services
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit the 1800RESPECT website.
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