The Art of Survival – A review of Elinth Arts’ SGBV and Mental Wellbeing Collection

Kikelomo Solomon-Ayeni

As a visual artist and survivor of child sexual abuse, I have learned that art is not merely about beauty, but about truth. It becomes a language for the unspeakable, a way to map experiences that words often fail to contain. This is why Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju’s Fragments to Wholeness collection is such a profound body of work. It is
not just a exhibition; it is an act of courage, an offering of self, and a reminder of how art can transmute trauma into testimony.

Fragments To Wholeness Art Collection by Elinth Arts – Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju

The works in Fragments to Wholeness by Elinth Arts carry the weight of memory. Through bold strokes, layered textures, and fractured imagery, Olubunmi – a mental health advocate, constructs visual narratives that echo the lived realities of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The canvases often feel unsettled, as if they are trembling under the weight
of what they hold. And yet, within this rupture lies the essence of truth: trauma is not neat, not polished, and not easily resolved. It is fragmented, and she shows us these fragments unflinchingly.

What is striking is how her art refuses to remain in despair. In pieces where shadows dominate, a glimmer of light still emerges. In canvases where forms are fractured, the act of assembly gestures toward healing. This tension between pain and possibility is at the core of her practice.

Works such as Silent Scream and Bruised Canvas confront us with the rawness of violence and silenced voices, while pieces like Recovering Symmetry and Emerging Resonance embody the resilience that
follows. The viewer is pulled into a journey that mirrors the reality of survival: one step anchored in memory, the other reaching toward renewal.

For those of us who have lived through abuse, there is an intimacy in her work that feels both haunting and affirming. It does not sensationalize pain. Instead, it recognizes its persistence while insisting on survival. In this way, Olubunmi’s art is not only personal but also communal. She speaks to every survivor who has struggled to reconcile fragments of the self with the possibility of wholeness. Her art
gives form to what many of us carry invisibly.

It is also important to note her ability to situate deeply personal experiences within a broader cultural and social context. In a society where conversations around sexual
and gender-based violence are often suppressed or stigmatized, Fragments to Wholeness stands as a form of resistance. It forces us to look, to confront, and to acknowledge. As an SGBV advocate myself, I recognize the political weight of this.

Her canvases are not just art objects, they are interventions, calling for recognition, empathy, and change.

Ultimately, what makes Olubunmi’s work extraordinary is her ability to hold both fracture and repair in the same breath. She does not pretend that wholeness is simple or absolute.

Instead, she reveals that wholeness is made possible through the fragments themselves, through the acknowledgment of what was broken, and the courage to piece it together differently. Olubunmi’s art is not just for the gallery walls; it is for communities, for conversations, and for the quiet places where healing begins.

In Fragments to Wholeness, Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju demonstrates that art is not simply expression. It is survival. It is healing. It is defiance.

And for those who-witness her work, it becomes an invitation to confront pain honestly, to honor resilience, and to believe that even from shattered pieces, beauty can emerge.