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In addition to the photographic portraits, visitors to the exhibition can listen to the personal, emotionally stirring stories. They talk openly and movingly about what was done to the women and how they deal with the violence they experienced today.
Elfie Semotan
Siolence. Combat violence against women
12.11. - 08.12.2024
Image Credits
Duration
12.11. - 08.12.2024
Location
Kunsthaus Graz
Curators
Katrin Bucher Trantow
Costs
free admission
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About the
Exhibition
On the occasion of Orange the World, Kunsthaus Graz presents a collaborative photo series by the important Austrian photographer Elfie Semotan, which gives a strong voice to the female victims of violence. The photographs, which utilise the means of classic advertising, make you look twice. What appears to be so light and customised has individual depth, shakes you up and touches you. ‘It is important that the women speak for themselves, appear for themselves and thus raise their own voices,’ say photographer Semotan and initiator Petra Werkovits about the work. In addition to the photographic portraits, audio recordings can be heard that relentlessly reveal the long paths of suffering and how violence and shame are dealt with.
A co-operation with the awareness campaign Siolence, Soroptimist International & by BBDO (Vienna)
Siolence
About the artist
The project
The aim of the project is to raise awareness and visualise everyday domestic violence, but also to give the voice back to the victims. In Semotan's own respectful distance, the women appear unexpectedly close. The women adopt the poses they choose, showing skin, hair and fragility. They are ‘women from next door’, half hiding, half revealing themselves to the camera's gaze. It becomes clear: It is not easy to break the silence and bring one's own story to light.
The site-specific exhibition at Kunsthaus Graz is the result of a co-operation between Soroptimist International, Kunsthaus Graz and the photographer Elfie Semotan. The photographic approach, which can be seen in the foyer of the Kunsthaus, and the accompanying audio recordings were created for the international Siolence campaign, which aims to raise awareness and break the deadly silence. Editions have been created for the successful campaign, which has made 13 stops from Vienna to Innsbruck to date and can be purchased in the Kunsthaus Graz shop. The proceeds from the exhibition donations will be used entirely for soroptimist violence protection and prevention projects.
