A design student at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is drawing on her experience with domestic violence for an upcoming exhibition of her artwork.
Senika Simon said she wanted to use the skills she was developing on her Digital Design MA course to explore the abuse she underwent in a former relationship.
The 33-year-old has previously studied video and photography at Leicester College before coming to DMU.
She said she wanted to make the exhibition - called I Am Woman I Am Senika - a personal account.
She said: "This is a representation of what I went through for more than nine years. It is about the story of a woman under control, a woman who is abused and beaten.
"I am not looking for sympathy with the show, I am simply expressing my experience in an art form."
The exhibition will feature photography and video. Senika said the photos, taken with the help of volunteers, showed representations of she used to look and feel during the relationship.
Those photos show some of the injuries she sustained from the violent relationship.
She said: "I want to raise awareness and make a connection with people, as well as work things out for myself."
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The exhibition takes place at the WotSPACE gallery, in Highcross, from December 2 to 5, open to the public for four days from 12pm to 5pm and a specific event will be held for each day from 6pm to 8pm.
Nick Higgett, Course Leader in MA Digital Design, said: "Senika is an inspiring and brave woman and as well as an industrious and conscientious student."
Senika said working on her MA course at DMU was helping her in her career.
She said: "It is helping me develop the tools to become independent and help make my art for a living. I am the first person in my family to study an MA and it means a lot - the lecturers have been a rock to me.
"But I also some other thanks: to Claire Willis the Director of Marketing and Communication within Leicester College who is currently sponsoring my domestic violence campaign and there are other supporters in place such as New Dawn New Day, Leicester Women's Counselling Centre, Counselling Leicestershire and Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living, that believe in my campaign."
Posted on Wednesday 2 December 2015