Melanie Olson was tired of the cold.
A chemistry graduate of McGill University, Olson had worked for 13 years as a lab researcher in a Montréal cancer centre when she packed her bags and moved Victoria.
A crafter since childhood, learning the skills from her grandmother and her friends, Olson enrolled in the Victoria College of Art to take a fundamentals course while also continuing her lab work for the BC Cancer Agency.
But after a year, she relocated again — this time to Vancouver, where she picked up art classes at UBC and the Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Still, she kept her art private until she realized the body of work she was creating needed a public audience.
That début collection, titled Targeted, which recently opened at PoMoArts in Port Moody, examines what it’s like to be the centre of domestic emotional abuse.
“I had a lot of art in my house and I was never brave enough to show it or take a chance on myself, which has a lot to do with show because of the emotional drainage I had being around somebody who made me think I wasn’t worthy of being someone,” Olson told the Tri-City News today, Jan. 17.
“I realized one day that I was invisible and I didn’t know myself, and that’s when things began to change for me.”
Olson said that once she dumped her partner, three years ago, she reached out to her friends and counsellors to search for the signs that she missed about domestic abuse.
“As a scientist, you take an analytical approach,” Olson said, “but when you talk to people, you quickly realize that you’re not alone.”
Her display, which is up until March 4 in the Ann Kitching Gallery at PoMoArts, is made up of 33 multi-media pieces from her series. Among the materials she used in her two-year project include paints, threads, carpets and tissue paper.
Olson’s aim with the exhibit is to help others who may have also experienced — or are experiencing — emotional abuse by their partner “and letting them know they’re not alone."
"I want people to know that you can survive something like this. Life can get better.”
Olson said she’s grateful to PoMoArts for displaying Targeted, which she hopes to also show Canada-wide, and for her friends who were understanding and not judgemental about her toxic relationship.
“You need a good support system when you go through something like this,” she said.
Help in the Tri-Cities
Jatinder Bhatti, executive director of Tri-City Transitions, told the Tri-City News that her society has helped women and their children since 1975; it offers a range of services for those fleeing domestic violence — from counselling and advocacy programs to a transition house.
“We extend our assistance to court support, aiming to empower women to reconnect with their inner strength and resilience, ultimately facilitating their journey toward a more peaceful life,” Bhatti said in an email.
“As an organization, our overarching objective is to break the cycle of violence, contributing to build a peaceful community and society.”
To view Targeted and other exhibits, you can visit PoMoArts at 2425 St. Johns St.
Meanwhile, PoMoArts has a new naming sponsor.
The Beedie Living Gallery recognizes the company’s donation to the arts hub for the next three years.
“We believe that the heart of this community thrives through its engagement in the arts” said Beedie Living in a news release.
“Beedie Living is proud to contribute to this dialogue and help increase accessibility to the arts to continue to foster a vibrant and inclusive community.”
