Open Eye Gallery Exhibition Explores The Healing Power Of Nature And Creativity
A powerful new exhibition exploring the role of nature and creativity in helping women heal from trauma and abuse is coming to Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery from 6 November to 20 December 2026.
Fractured Landscapes and How We Heal brings together new photographic work by artist Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora alongside artwork created by women from four refuges across the UK, exploring how creative expression can support recovery from trauma, particularly in the context of male violence against women and girls.
The exhibition considers how traumatic experiences can change the way people see themselves and the world around them, while highlighting the potential of photography, art and nature to provide space for reflection, expression and healing.
At the heart of the project are creative workshops involving women supported by refuges across the country. Each group has worked with a lead artist to explore their experiences through different artistic approaches, offering opportunities to communicate emotions that can often be difficult to put into words.
The participating artists include Katy Sadler, who worked with Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid; Audrey Albert, who worked with Chrysalis Centre in Liverpool; Lynn Weddle, who worked with Safe in Sussex in Littlehampton; and Lynda Laird, who worked with Oasis in Gravesend and Dungeness.
Photographer Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora, whose new work features in the exhibition, reflects on the lasting impact of trauma and the complex process of recovery.
“The fabric of trauma alters your landscape and perception of the world. Traumatic experiences shift and change you; you move through the world differently to the version of you before it. The beauty still exists, but sometimes it’s through a new lens.
“The seismic actions of male violence can be fatal, for many of the women involved in this work it has caused significant, life changing disruption. There is no quick fix to heal from trauma, it takes years of work, but we must start somewhere.”
The exhibition also gives a platform to the voices of women who have taken part in the creative workshops, sharing their personal experiences of using art as a means of processing trauma.
Jo Matwiejczyk, a participant in the Littlehampton workshops, described how photography and abstract art helped her find new ways to express her experiences. “Using photography and abstract mediums to channel my trauma through, has opened a door to a voice in me that doesn’t usually get to speak. It’s a voice that hadn’t yet found the right language to reflect back the visceral, layered emotions that often live beyond words.”
Alongside the exhibition, a specially produced book will be available to purchase from Open Eye Gallery’s independent bookshop. Designed as a learning resource, it brings together insights from the workshops, artwork and poetry created by participants, placing creativity and recovery at the centre of the conversation.
Through photography, personal stories and collaborative artwork, Fractured Landscapes and How We Heal invites visitors to consider the impact of trauma, the importance of giving women space to tell their stories and the ways in which creativity can help people reconnect with themselves and the world around them.
The project has been supported by an Arts Council England Project Grant, with further support from The New Art Gallery Walsall, Open Eye Gallery, Photo Fringe and the Peter Marlow Foundation.
Fractured Landscapes and How We Heal
6 November – 20 December 2026
Open Eye Gallery Liverpool
Free Entry
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