Public benches along Sliema’s popular promenade have been transformed into eye-catching and colourful memorials dedicated to women who were killed.

The promenade above Sliema’s Independence Garden is now home to 35 vibrant benches, each one unique in artistic expression and colours.

Spray-painted in different shades of blue, one bench depicts a woman with flowers in her hair and holding a dove, with the words ‘Her light shines’ written on the side. Another, in different tones of red reads ‘Violence solves nothing’.

Photo: Walter Barbara/CP Creative

Another bench has the words  ‘Their memory shines’ painted, along with images of cats, which could be interpreted as a tribute to murder victim Paulina Dembska, the Polish student and cat lover killed in the same area in 2022.

The Memorial Benches – Faces of Resilience project is an initiative by the Eastern Regional Council, in collaboration with the Sliema local council and the Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence Commission.

Fourteen artists left their mark on the benches along Tower Road, each with their style to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Photo: Walter Barbara/CP Creative

Anthony Chircop, the president of the Eastern Regional Council, said the council holds the title of Region of Culture 2024 and the initiative is a significant part of this year’s cultural calendar.

“We wanted to create awareness of the support and assistance available for those suffering from domestic violence,” Chircop told Times of Malta.

That is when the idea came about to provide workshops, guided by artist James Micallef Grimaud, where artists and community members could come together to paint and prime the benches and create a space that inspires reflection and awareness.

People say these are only a few isolated cases. Even if so, that is one too many

Micallef Grimaud said the project is not only a means to commemorate the lives of the women lost but also to spark conversations about violence and resilience in the community.

Photo: Walter Barbara/CP Creative

The artists who participated are Jack Stewart, Kristina Znakina Andonova, Saima Murtaza, Yuexin Kong, Hun Sun, Andrea Farrugia, John Schembri, Jarek Nalewajk, Aurora

Invonne Mario, Matas Statulevicius, Jackie Fritz, Marilouis Guy, Sophia Guy and Rhys John Meredith.

They were selected through an open call for applications back in March.

Small plaques with QR codes will be placed on the side of all the benches, providing information on support services available for domestic violence victims.

Chircop admitted that, while he has received positive feedback on the initiative, he has heard comments questioning if such an initiative is necessary.

“There have been some people who said we are exaggerating and highlighting something that is not as serious as we are making it to be,” he said.

“People say these are only a few isolated cases. Even if so, that is one too many.”

The Malta Women’s Lobby praised the Sliema council and the Eastern Regional Council for the impactful initiative to raise awareness about violence against women through art.

It also encouraged other local councils and regional authorities to consider similar projects to raise awareness on such pressing issues.

The initiative is also a soft launch to the upcoming Sliema Arts Festival, to be held between July 19 and 21.