“Illuminating Vulnerability,” an animation thesis exhibition curated by third-year MFA student Anisha Chaudhary, tells a moving story. Using mediums from 2D animation to sculpture to projection mapping — a technique where normal surfaces are turned into immersive, dynamic displays — the gallery weaves a hopeful narrative about the healing that can come after the trauma of sexual violence.
The exhibit, which ran from March 9 to 16, follows the story of an animated nondescript figure. The figure starts out isolated with barriers around them because of the traumatic experience, closing themselves off from receiving help. As the gallery progresses, the figure begins to connect with different groups of people such as family, friends and those that underwent similar experiences. It is through this that the character finds their internal strength and re-opens themselves to life.
“[The figure] is meant to represent anyone,” Chaudhary said. “All of the characters have the same face and limbs, but different primary and secondary characteristics to depict that anyone, of any gender or body type can be subjected to sexual violence.”
According to Christine Veras, Chaudhary’s faculty supervisor, assistant professor of animation and director of the experimenta.l. Animation Lab, the gallery attempts to represent the wide breath of feelings associated with the trauma of sexual violence.
“[Anisha] wanted to tell a story that could honor people who suffer from sexual violence, but at the same time providing not only solace but a way for people to relate to the topic,” Veras said. “I want to say [this is done] in a more empathetic way, but it is more than that. It is about care, self-care and creating venues to allow support to come in.”
The project began in April 2024, when Chaudhary began sharing her ideas regarding sexual violence alongside themes of vulnerability and agency with Veras. Chaudhary said that after speaking with Veras, her summer was dominated by extensive research into the topic of sexual violence and how people deal with the aftermath of it. Veras said her role was to provide guidance, and that the exhibition’s end product was artist-led.
“Everyone has their own personality [with] their strengths and skills,” Veras said. “It is about what [students] bring and how I can help them maximize their potential for their own idea.”
During her research, Chaudhary focused on learning about sexual consent and what it means in relation to sexual violence. Common in mainstream media and social conversations, consent can serve as a safety net against harm, but to Chaudhary, it isn’t a perfect tool.
“As I did my literature review I found that consent can be harmful towards sexual justice for survivors of assault,” Chaudhary said. “Consent is solely the agreement to sex and it [has] been skewed to harm people. We can’t hold consent as our ethic of safe practices of sex.”
According to Chaudhary, the inspiration for the gallery’s topic stemmed from her feelings of pain and anger needing a way to release, while also serving as a follow-up of her past project: Reflection of Choice.
‘Illuminating Vulnerability’ built upon ‘Reflection of Choice,’ the idea of protective objects was [a recurring theme],” Chaudhary said. “With my previous work, because it was more specific, it was more cathartic. With [‘Illuminating Vulnerability’] it was a more open, general expression because it can happen to anybody.”
Vulnerability can often be seen socially as a weakness, or as something that does not need to be projected or shown to others. The name “Illuminating Vulnerability” combines two words that are seen as opposites, and to Chaudhary, presents a worldview different from strength versus weakness.
“I think it’s just about being yourself and being open, regardless of consequences, saying what is on your mind,” Chaudhary said. “I [define] vulnerability as speaking your truth, maintaining authenticity, choosing courage, asserting feelings and boundaries and holding empowerment over shame.”
Chaudhary said she sees galleries as holding a transformative power in their ability to provide solace and new perspectives.
“I think that when you foster environments that are safe spaces, then you get more of those changes,” Chaudhary said. “There are specific places, like the SP/N gallery or the AHT gallery where I have developed [a] community.”
According to Veras, the gallery’s location at a university allows younger audiences to interact with a topic frequently shunned and silenced in previous generations. Despite the sensitive nature and taboos around sexual violence, Veras said the way “Illuminating Vulnerability” is presented makes it comfortable for all viewers, where sexual violence is not explicitly shown but presented in an intricate and subtle manner.
“Anisha made some very interesting choices, [starting with] writing the name of the exhibition [and] not [explicitly] talking about sexual violence,” Veras said. “I [tell her] to wait to see how the audience will respond. [With] an exhibition, things gain a life of their own. The work allows for different interpretations that you never thought about.”
“I think the beauty of animation is that you can use animation to talk about difficult topics, in a way that people will feel more comfortable and accept,” Veras said. “There is something about animation [from] the metamorphosis, the transformation, the roundness of the character that makes it appealing to us, so you want to see and discover. It inspires curiosity.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or visit UTD’s student counseling center website for more information on recovery and seeking help.
