Each pair of shoes represents a woman killed (Picture: EPA/Getty)

Domestic violence is a major issue around the world, with many women suffering abuse, and in some cases death, at the hands of their partners.

To commemorate some of the women who died, an artist and graphic designer has come up with an art installation no one can ignore.

Vahit Tuna from Turkey, hung 440 high heels around buildings in Instanbul, a pair for each woman killed by their husband in 2018.

The haunting artwork aims to draw public attention to the problem of domestic abuse which is so often swept under the carpet.


Two buildings feature the installation, one in Istanbul’s Kabataş neighbourhood and the other in the Beyoğlu district.



Vahit chose to spread the message across an area of approximately 260 square meters on the outer wall on the building of Yanköşe, a not-for-profit art platform.

Instead of having his work displayed inside the building, Vahit wanted to catch the attention of not just art-seekers but bystanders who pass by the central location.

In Turkey, 440 women died in 2018 as a result of domestic abuse (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

In some parts of Turkey, it’s customary to leave the shoes of someone who’s passed away outside on the wall of their home.

With the same idea in mind, Vahit chose 440 black high heeled shoes, because of how they look and what they symbolise.

The artist explained to Turkish media that heels are a sign of independence and defiance, mixing feminine power and agency.

He lamented that the women who died don’t have the chance to live independent lives.

‘We wanted everyone passing by the road to see [the work]. This is why we did not want to host the exhibition in a closed area,’ he explained to the media.

‘What this project does is that it both raises awareness regarding women murders and also materializes this issue like a sculpture or monument. This work will stay here for six months.’

We Will Stop Femicide Platform in Turkey tallies up the number of women killed annually and they say the number of deaths has risen.

In 2017, 409 women were killed by a partner which has increased up to 440 in 2018. Data at the end of 2019 will show whether the grim results have gone up.

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