Abolish 153 is pleased to present a group exhibition at the Contemporary Art Platform on 16 May 2015, marking ten years since women obtained their political rights in Kuwait. The exhibition will feature works in various media by local and regional artists to raise awareness and funding for our campaign, Abolish 153. This campaign is committed to abolishing article 153 of Kuwait’s penal code that sanctifies the murder of female kin, and treats it as a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of 3 years or 3000 rupees fine. Many Kuwaitis are not aware of this law’s existence, it is harmful to women and girls as it sanctifies their murder, and violates the constitution, Islamic Sharia and CEDAW, which Kuwait ratified in 1996.

The exhibition will include works by 15 artists. It will feature paintings by Kuwaiti artists Alaa Al-Haddad, Amani Althuwaini, Amira Behbehani, Ibrahim Alatiya, Khadija Al-Bahaweed, Mohammed Ramadan, Mohammed Sarkouh, Shaimaa Ashkanani, Suhaila Al-Najdi and Thuraya Al-Baqsami. It will also feature photography by Maryam Mesri and Nasser Al-Ghanim. Iranian artists Salar Ahmadian and Behnaz Ghasemi have contributed to this exhibition, along with Lebanese artist Katya Traboulsi. Their works highlight women and their role in society. Some works celebrate the family and womanhood. Some emphasize the importance of men and women being equal members in society. Others focus on direct and indirect forms of gender violence, raising awareness to the legislation that encourages it.