Savera UK: Duality of Vessels

Savera UK launches community art exhibition: “Duality Vessels: Voices of Strength” 

The exhibition at St George’s Hall will run from Tuesday 10th March until Monday 30th April 2026.

Savera UK, a leading charity established in Merseyside to help people affected by ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices, is launching a community art exhibition at St George’s Hall in March.

Duality Vessels: Voices of Strength will be located in the Stable Gallery’s Café 1854 Space and will feature artworks created by women from the Liverpool City Region that address the issues of HBA and harmful practices, which include forced marriage, conversion ‘therapy’ and spiritual abuse.

Through creative expression in mediums including collage, photography and sculpture, the exhibition brings visibility to abuse that is often kept hidden by silence and control, exploring identity, resilience, culture and lived experience.

Following a private launch event for the artists, their guests and supporters of Savera UK, the exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday 10th March until Monday 30th April 2026.

There will also be a series of workshops connected to themes in the exhibition, including a coffee morning delivered in partnership with RASA Merseyside on Wednesday 18th March (10am – 12pm), an immersive sound bath (women only event) on Wednesday 8th April (10am – 12pm), and a HBA and harmful practices workshop led by Savera UK on Thursday 16th April (10am – 12pm). These sessions are free, but donations are welcome. Places are limited so booking is required.

A selection of pieces from the first phase of the community art project, which was funded by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, were previewed at Savera UK’s “March to End HBA & Festival of Culture” last summer [September 2025].

Led by facilitator Amina Bihi, the project involved a variety of activities, including mask-making, collage workshops, stop-motion animation, photography, and portrait series. These activities allowed participants to explore themes related to culture, identity, and understanding and/or experiences of HBA, while developing their artistic skills and practising mindfulness.

In the last year alone Savera UK has helped 339 clients and received almost 700 calls to its national helpline and submissions to its online referral forms. As well as seeing a 51% increase in referrals for forced marriage and 33% increase for FGM, it also noted a much more significant increase in less well-recognised harmful practices. These include spiritual abuse, where referrals doubled, referrals relating to sexuality and gender (125% increase) and forced servitude, referrals for which increased by 433%.

If you think you or someone you know is at risk of or experiencing HBA or harmful practices, you can contact our national helpline 0800 107 0726 (10am – 4pm, weekdays excluding bank holidays). If you are at immediate risk, please ring 999.

For more information about Savera UK, visit: www.saverauk.co.uk

For all Savera UK events, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/savera-uk-113801969251