Art and activism collide when Rest In Power opens at Queen Victoria Women's Centre this month.
Last year, following the deaths of 85 women including Isla Bell, RMIT students made a bold decision. They transformed their graduate show into an act of protest, creating a collective stand against gendered violence and the silencing of survivors.
Now, one year on, that unified demonstration is being honoured through Rest In Power, an exhibition bringing together art, activism and community reflection.
Rest In Power
- 25 November – 12 December
- Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
- Exhibition opening event: 27 November, 6pm – 8pm
- Banner-making station: 25 – 27 November, 9am – 5pm
- Walk Against Family Violence: 28 November, 10am
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
View this post on Instagram
The show features photographic documentation of the original studio protests, alongside records of informal discourse that led to the wave of demonstrations. Held with the support and guidance of Isla’s family, Rest In Power has been designed and produced by Moth Design. Working with The Red Heart Campaign and Femicide Watch, the exhibition includes a memorial list of women who have been killed by gendered violence from 2024 to the present.
Visitors can move through the QVWC ground floor and Birnbeal Gallery, spaces designed for reflection, remembrance and action. From a wall to write on to placard-making for the 2025 Walk Against Family Violence, the exhibition coincides with 16 Days of Activism and offers opportunities for personal and collective engagement.
The show is accompanied by a catalogue of one-year-on written reflections from students, staff, Isla’s family and community activists, plus digital documentation of peripheral actions in response to Isla’s death.
For more information, head here.
