Phil Hanson and James Ballantyne talk about their upcoming exhibition Face of a Daughter.
Two Kiwi artists have spent hundreds of hours painting realistic portraits of women in traditional garb to put a human face to the issue of sex trafficking and to help raise funds in the fight against it.
Phil Hanson and James Ballantyne's work will be exhibited and auctioned tomorrow. The proceeds will go towards an anti sex-trafficking organisation in Thailand.
The duo started the project 18 months ago after Zimbabwean-raised Hanson was inspired by the work of Nepalese social activist Anuradha Koirala. She has helped rescue more than 12,000 women and girls through her non-profit organisation Maiti Nepal.
The portrait Khoafang by James Ballantyne is part of a fundraiser to raise money to stop sex trafficking. Photo / Supplied
Koirala famously told people to imagine that each victim was their daughter. This inspired the name of the exhibition: Face of a Daughter.
"I was so inspired by this incredible woman her bravery and courage," Hanson said.
"She gets daily death threats but still carries on her work. I just thought 'what can I do to try and help'?
"This is men inflicting this kind of pain on girls and women. As a man I thought it'd be good to try and do something that reflected the beauty of women."
Through friends and word of mouth the artists found women who would wear traditional attire and model. They painted six portraits each. Some took up to 40 hours to complete.
