A collective exhibition curated by journalist and author Myriam Leroy on the theme of cyberbullying, which she herself has experienced, will open on Friday 6 December at the Brussels art gallery That’s what x said.
The exhibition, entitled Sexisme Pépouze, will feature works by a dozen artists. They have all interpreted nearly 4,300 hateful messages directed at the journalist through mediums such as painting, sculpture, stained glass, poetry, comics, bookbinding, embroidery, and performance.
In March, a repentant member of a private Facebook group sent Myriam Leroy conversations that were mainly about her. She gained access to around 4,300 messages exchanged by men and women aged 40 to 65 over 50 days.
The conversations aimed at publishing supposedly compromising information about Myriam Leroy in right-wing and far-right media, coordinating attacks, preparing a defence for one member’s harassment trial, and more broadly, venting frustrations, according to a press release.
The journalist anonymised the exchanges and transmitted them to a dozen artists. Inspired by her experience, they created eclectic works.
"Some pay tribute to her ears that obsess her harassers, others highlight the absurdity of these exchanges through ridicule or denounce the inherent sexism of these messages by emphasising the seriousness of online harassment,” the press release stated.
Sexisme Pépouze will be on display from Friday 6 December to Sunday 26 January at the Brussels art gallery That’s what x said.
