“Saying “No“ is not a privilege for a few but a choice for everyone.“ Miklós Kiss

Many women are discriminated and abused because of their gender. The violent acts committed against them can be verbal, emotional, physical, sexual or economic and they are much more common than expected - and it happens more often than we know about it. Most of these cases are never reported to the authorities, and the media is not informed – they remain unnoticed. Many women feel like they do not have other option, but to silently endure.

The silent consent is like an exclamation mark. A mark for all those women, who have been deprived of their rights of making their own choices. Who have been living their lives under obligation and suppression, because nobody has ever showed them how to say “No“. This silent consent becomes a painful everyday routine. It is hiding on their lips, dishonest and invisible.

This artwork is commemorating these women, with the tools of design and art. It wants to raise awareness that all women have the freedom of choice - despite of their traditions, religions and moral dogmas. It sends a clear message to the world, that saying “No“ is not a privilege for a few but a choice for everyone. The closed mouth reminds us that this is not a real yes. This is a yes that has been painted for centuries, and bad traditions. Just because women dress sexy or wear makeup doesn’t mean yes for sex or physical contact.

On these images you can see that each character has the colours of national flags. They are designed using a font created by a designer, font studio or firm from that specific country.