I AM SOFT, I AM STRONG. WHAT AM I?
Cream Athens presents I AM A VULVA, a project by Effie Emmanouilidi in collaboration with her art collective Planet Sisterhood, which takes place at TAF, The Art Foundation, in Monastiraki from Thursday 4 May 2023 to Sunday 7 May 2023.
The power of the earth meets the power of femininity and gives birth to dozens of colorful, hand-made ceramic vulvas surrounded by projections and installations with protagonists to be femininities of contemporary Greece.
In a society that often suppresses diversity and insists on downplaying the power of femininity, the project of Effie Emmanouilidi, mapping the new social reality, aims to reconstruct the stereotypes concerning gender, and to highlight the value of our nature.
Throughout history, the vulva has been seen as dangerous, other, and not to be fully understood or depicted. Even when we see images of childbirth in contemporary art, it’s often from the perspective of medical professionals – the actual experience of birth is rarely depicted. This lack of representation in Western art has led to a society where our bodies are often seen as taboo – something to be hidden away or covered up. Femininity and sexuality have been policed and stigmatized, leading to a lack of understanding and appreciation for the vulva and its functions. The censorship and shame around female genitalia and bodily functions are still prevalent, not just in art, but in wider society.
Are we what society and its standards dictate and command us to be? Do we finally recognize how often the femininity we all hide within us gets underestimated and considered a weakness, regardless of gender, height and size?
Through a pop aesthetic and a deeply personal approach, I AM A VULVA is a call to action that invites us to rethink our relationships with our bodies, our sexualities, and our identities. It challenges us to embrace our femininity unapologetically and appreciate how this force makes us unique, beautiful, and always enough.
About the artist
Effie Emmanouilidi is a visual artist and Art Director who lives and works in Athens, born in 1992. Femininity, ecofeminism and gender are dominant themes in her visual practice. Her work mainly focuses on the expression and manifestation of femininity. She uses media such as sculpture, video, analogue photography and text. She holds a Master’s Degree in Visual Communication from the University of Derby / Vakalo Art & Design College (2018) and was recently awarded at the Young Lions Competition Greece.
About Planet Sisterhood
Planet Sisterhood is an art collective founded by Effie Emmanouilidi, Ismini Inglesi, Mariza Kapsabeli and Christina Dimitra in 2022 and is open to all femininities involved in the arts, with the aim of supporting freedom of expression through creativity.
The exhibition is surrounded by a multitude of activities such as open discussions with the psychologist and sex therapist Sexethos and the feminist influencer and columnist The Abstract Girl, a DJ set by Myrto Antoniadis and a sound bath session by Vefi Valsami. Please find more information and book your spot below.
Curated by Nia Hefe Filiogianni
Funded by
Supported by
Exhibition programme
Opening Reception
Thursday 4 May 2023 | 7-10 pm
Duration
Thursday 4 May – Sunday 7 May 2023 | 12 – 8 pm
Parallel events
Saturday 6 May 2023 | 12-1pm
Open talk with @the.abstract.girl (Eva Kotta)
Book now (free)
Saturday 6 May 2023 | 5-6pm
Open talk with @sexethos (Marina Arvanitaki)
Book now (free)
Sunday 7 May 2023 | 11-12pm
Soundbath session with @valsami_vefi
Book now (Admission 10€)
Address
TAF | The Art Foundation
Normanou 5, Monastiraki
Find out more on our IG @creamathens
Press
- Facebook event https://fb.me/e/2Hq4rhSaj
- ElCulture ‘’I AM VULVA’’: Το project της εικαστικού Έφης Εμμανουηλίδη και της κολεκτίβας Planet Sisterhood που χαρτογραφεί την καινούργια κοινωνική πραγματικότητα (elculture.gr)
- Lifo I am a vulva: Η δύναμη της Γης συναντάει τη θηλυκότητα | LiFO
- Athens Voice Το Cream Athens παρουσιάζει το project I AM A VULVA της εικαστικού Έφης Εμμανουηλίδη (athensvoice.gr)
- Platform.gr Art Talks: Έφη Εμμανουηλίδη “I AM A VULVA” - Platform.gr
- Antivirus Mag https://avmag.gr/i-am-a-vulva-giati-dekades-polychroma-keramika-aidoia-tha-kataklysoyn-ton-choro-toy-taf/
- Art Views I AM A VULVA / Έφη Εμμανουηλίδη - Artviews
- Athens City Festival Efi Emmanouilidis: I am a Vulva | Athens City Festival (thisisathens.org)
- Discover Greece Έφη Εμμανουηλίδη: I am a Vulva | Εκδηλώσεις | | Discover Greece
- This is Athens ACF2023: Effie Emmanouilidi: I am a Vulva | The Official Athens Guide (thisisathens.org)
- ACG (EN) I AM A VULVA - Effie Emmanouilidi - ACG (acgalumni.gr) & (GR) I AM A VULVA - Έφη Εμμανουηλίδη - ACG (acgalumni.gr)
- Independent.gr I AM A VULVA (independent.gr)