Turkey Has A Chilling Memorial For 440 Women Who Were Killed By Their Husbands

Domestic violence is a serious issue across the globe. In fact, we’re tragically losing far too many lives. In Turkey, one artist took it upon himself to tell people about how bad the problem has become in the country by creating an art installation – and it looks pretty disturbing.

Artist and graphic designer Vahit Tuna came up with the idea of hanging 440 high heel shoes on the side of two buildings to represent the total number of women murdered by their own husbands in 2018 alone.

Violence against women is an alarming problem in Turkey.

Unfortunately, it looks like the general public often seems to stay silent about the subject.

Artist Vahit Tuna’s art installation featuring 440 black high-heeled shoes aims to call everyone’s attention about the grim realities of domestic abuse in the country.

The haunting display, found on the walls of two buildings in Kabatas and Beyoglu district, Istanbul, has become an eye-opener for many. And according to him, he chose the spot so as to get more attention to it since the place draws a huge number of people on a daily basis.

“We wanted everyone passing by the road to see the work, ” explained Vahit. “This is why we did not want to host the exhibition in a closed area.”

The shoes and the color black are both symbolic.

In certain places in the country, people have the custom of leaving the shoes of deceased individuals outside the walls of their homes. Vahit chose black heels as a symbol of the women’s independence and power. Sadly, the victims have been robbed of the opportunity to live their lives because of their abusive spouses.

The display will stay in place for six months.

The story eventually went viral on social media and some netizens took time to express their appreciation towards Vahit’s efforts to bring the topic into light.

As one commenter wrote:

“440 women dead because of their spouses? Geez! This is really heartbreaking but I’m glad someone’s finally spreading the message against domestic violence. in Turkey”

Watch the video report here: