Guerrilla art against abuse: “Speak” by Lili Lopez (acrylic paint, glitter, glue).
Lili made “Speak” as a gift for her abused cousin. It is a reminder for her cousin to keep speaking up for herself, even if others won’t listen.
The piece depicts a ghostly face with gaping black mouth (upper left), spewing a colorful stream of “pain and truth” across the canvas. Hidden throughout are other abstract faces (lower right, etc.). The speaking face also features a single curled tentacle (a reference to a child abuse story from the movie Short Term 12, which we recently watched with Lili’s cousin). The green and red-orange areas contain glitter that shines brilliantly when viewed in person.
Lili’s cousin has been physically and psychologically abused by her family for many years. After the cousin called police and Child Protective Services numerous times, a case was opened against her parents for over a year. Social workers visited regularly, but did nothing to stop the abuse. CPS is gone now, and the family is just as abusive as ever. Now 18, this young woman is still stuck in her parents’ home, struggling to escape.