By Ryan Menard

In an effort to expose the urgency and relevancy of sexual violence and to help inspire victims, the Curry Student Center hosted Catherine Pedemonti’s photography exhibit “Faces of Survivors: Voices Reclaimed” last week.

The series of portraits which lined the Gallery Lounge illustrated scenes of the healing process among victims of sexual assault. On display April 6 to 12 as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the exhibit painted an empowering vision of survival while reminding students that sexual violence is very real.

“I want to show how widespread this really is and how people have a kind of stereotype of who this happens to and who is responsible for sexual violence,” Pedemonti said. “And I want to show that people survive and move on.”

A victim of sexual assault, Pedemonti began the project as a part of her own healing process, creating a series of self-portraits before turning the camera toward other survivors and letting them take control.

“A huge part of my healing has been working with very amazing, strong people,” Pedemonti said.

She offers the people she works with as role models for others who are struggling to overcome the trauma of sexual violence. The photographs capture moments of healing and thriving as positive images for other survivors, Pedemonti said.

Stressing openness and triumph, the subjects pose freely, expressing their sheer survival with huge smiles or pensive glares in a comfortable environment – whether it be a breezy Boston skyline, a cozy restaurant or the subject’s backyard. Alongside their portrait, some survivors left words of personal analysis, poetry and advice.

Survivor Raquel lies on her stomach, her eyes optimistically accompanying her smile.

“My hands are powerful and I claim my freedom,” she wrote. “I am the history of resistance.”

Among the portraits is one of the first photographs of the project, a self-portrait of Pedemonti, striped with the shadows of window blinds, as she stares confidently into the camera. Reflecting on all of the healing that has come from the project, she writes, “this project and the amazing people involved has been inspirational and transformative.”

The exhibit has been displayed at schools including Harvard University, Tufts Uni-versity and Simmons College.

“[Sexual assault] is definitely a major thing on campus,” Pedemonti said, stressing the relevance of the topic to students. “A lot of schools don’t even mention sexual assault and rape, and it’s an important message to get across.”

Intrigued by the project, Chris McCarty, a senior criminal justice major said, “I’m sure whoever sees it will be touched a lot by it.”

Many Northeastern students, though interested in the photos, simply weren’t aware of the exhibit.

“I think it’s a great idea because, knowing people who’ve gone through that, people need a way to work through,” said Pamela Abr-aham, a junior business major. “I’m actually really curious to see it.”

Planned alongside such events as “Take Back the Night” and “The Clothesline Project” for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, “Faces of Survivors: Voices Reclaimed” encouraged openness and progress.

“It amazes me sometimes — that from that can come this,” Pedemonti wrote next to her self-portrait.