VIRTUAL TOUR: CHRYSALIS - OLGA STEFATOU'S IMAGES CELEBRATE THE INDIVIDUALITY OF MIGRANT WOMEN IN GREECE

Chrysalis, by artist and photographer Olga Stefatou, introduces viewers to 11 women who fled their old countries in search of a better life. Dr. Marika Sardar, Curator at the Aga Khan Museum, takes you on a virtual tour of the exhibition.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

FROM FUNCTION TO FASHION

Each of Stefatou's subjects wears a golden costume fashioned from metallic emergency blankets, the kind distributed to refugees and a symbol of today’s mass migrations. Created in collaboration with designer Guram Chachanidze, the dresses are expressions of each woman’s personal story and spirit. 

IN HER OWN WORDS

Accompanying the photographs are testimonials from the women, who have journeyed to Greece from Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Together, image and text give the women a platform to present themselves to the world as they wish to be seen: as individuals, each with her own reasons to leave home, and each with her own expectations and hopes for the future.

PRAISE FOR CHRYSALIS

Chrysalis was featured in the Los Angeles Month of Photography and in Australia’s Head On Photo Festival. In 2018, the portrait series was a finalist for the 12th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, which recognize outstanding works by women photographers. Many of Stefatou’s other projects have been exhibited in art venues and festivals worldwide.

ABOUT OLGA STEFATOU

Olga Stefatou is a Greek visual artist working with photography and video. In her practice, she investigates the idea of freedom and its connections to geopolitics, heritage, and social structures, with a special interest in gender issues.

Resources

• Artist website: https://olgastefatou.com