YAEL BEN-HORIN / OUTSID(H)ER

OUTSID(H)ER/Yael Ben-Horin Photomontages of family photos and images of a girl downloaded from a child porn site Child sexual abuse is a global gender-orientated problem which cannot be properly depicted through the use of statistical data. For many years western societies have related to it as if it was a private and shameful issue of little social concern. It is only during the last decades, that it has been reframed, mainly by feminists and mental health activists, rather as a socio-political phenomenon. Even though the subject has gained legislative, sociological, psychological and media awareness and attention, the taboos and stereotypes attached to it are yet far from being lifted or at least weakened. For example, mainstream representations of the abusers in the media tend to emphasize their deviance from the norm by describing them as belonging to an insane, perverted minority of sexual monsters. However, it has already been well-established that abusers come from the full socio-economical spectrum and most of them are perfectly capable of running a normal life. Moreover, once a woman decides to place an official complaint against her abuser, she soon discovers a never-ending legal process, a humiliating ordeal which is likely to end with sheer disappointment, and often without pressing charges. Consequently, coming out of the closet as a survivor of sexual abuse is a painful, lonely experience that most women do not have the resources or the mental stability to go through. The social structures of western societies do not enable a safe space for the voices of the victims. Thereby, the unbearable silencing comfortably continues from decade to decade with some technical improvements. OUTSID(H)ER is about the struggle to exist beyond the gaze. The photos tell the story of a missing girl, as she travels outside herself, freeing the chaotic elements from the silence that has been forced upon her. The “hosting” families are many, and she is just like any other girl.