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'Saying no to sex once should have been enough'

News imageBBC Magdalena Boryn wearing a black collared shirt and transparent-framed glasses. She has long brown hair and is smiling at the camera, standing against a yellow wall and a marble pillar, with a plant visible on the right. BBC
Magdalena Boryn described the artwork as a "visual representation of my feelings through different stages of the healing process"

An artist who says she was raped by someone she knew when he pressured her into sex is hosting an exhibition to spark open conversations around consent.

It took Magdalena Boryn five years of blaming herself before someone pointed out that being coerced into sex could still constitute rape.

She has since channelled her "healing" into a series of paintings featuring animals, on display at the Mazi Project in Bedminster, Bristol, from 19-20 September.

Boryn said she hoped "by reducing the taboo around experiences of sexual violence we can open a broader dialogue of how they can be prevented", adding saying "no" once should have been enough.

News imagePatterned Frog A green frog laying on a bed, blending into a duvet which is the same green shade, and clutching the covers up high as if he is sad or scared. Behind him is a dark scribble, and above him are the words 'I want to talk about feeling like a failure'. The background is painted a bright contrasting yellow.Patterned Frog
Boryn described the artwork as a "visual representation of my feelings through different stages of the healing process"

Boryn now uses her work to advocate for "enthusiastic consent", where both partners seek eager interest, body language cues, and verbal confirmation.

"I hope that the artwork will allow people who have never experienced sexual violence themselves, a glimpse into the damage it causes internally," she said.

"I also hope it motivates everyone to be more mindful of asking for consent, and to never assume that it's implied.

"After years of processing, the exhibition feels like the final moment of letting go of the shame and pain I experienced."

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Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, a person consents only if they agree by choice and have the freedom and capacity to make that choice, and when considering whether a belief in consent was reasonable, a court must look at all the circumstances, including any steps taken to ascertain whether the other person consented.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said in some circumstances, coercion, intimidation or other forms of pressure can undermine a person's freedom to choose, meaning consent may not be legally valid.

News imagePatterned Frog A composite image showing two pieces of artwork side by side. The left one shows a large cartoon-like frog with a red border around its body, standing against a light green background and speaking to a smaller frog which is perched on the edge of a round wooden table beside a yellow box of tissues. The big frog says it feels 'contaminated and responsible'. The picture on the right shows a white page smeared with black paint, depicting three distressed looking frogs standing next to a bed. The words say 'I said no, once should have been enough'.Patterned Frog
Boryn says frogs, her favourite animal since childhood, help to frame the topic in a way that feels "more comfortable"

The artist, professionally known as Patterned Frog, told the BBC she started the series as a way of processing her emotions after being raped.

The collection features innocent frogs, the artist's favourite animal since childhood, interacting with "evil" slugs or missing their arms to symbolise alack of control.

"I've always struggled with putting how I'm feeling into words," she explained.

"But once those feelings are on a canvas, I can explain what the different elements of a painting mean, and that way, I find the words for my emotions.

"There was a lot of comfort in looking at a canvas and seeing that, in a way, it also felt what I was feeling."

Boryn says she hopes the exhibit will encourage people to talk more openly about sexual violence by expressing the topic in a way that feels "more comfortable".

The weekend will also include workshops, drop-in craft activities a reading corner and information resources, including a stand for YUNO sexual health clinic.

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