Femicide through Art
The artists can stay anonymous. The women will be named.
Every year, women are killed because they are women, and too often their names fade within a week. This is a long-term project led by artist Maria Arvaniti and supported by Project Anonymous Artist. We use art, film and exhibitions to make femicide impossible to ignore, and we will keep going until Greece recognises femicide in law.
A word that makes the reason visible
Femicide is the killing of a woman or girl because she is a woman. It is often reported as a "crime of passion" or a family tragedy, which hides the pattern behind it.
Naming it matters. When femicide is recognised in law, these deaths are counted, studied and acted on, not filed away as statistics. In Greece, the word is still not recognised in the penal code [check and confirm current legal position].
Every woman lost to femicide had a name, a family and a life. Our work is to remember her as a person, not a number.
Maria's work, thread by thread
Maria Arvaniti is a Greek textile artist who trained at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art, and has exhibited in London, Athens and Thessaloniki. Her weaving, tufting and embroidery explore gender, identity and the female experience. Textile has always been women's work, slow and made by hand, and Maria uses it to hold the stories of women who were silenced.
Years of work on femicide
For years, Maria's art has centred on women and femicide, turning loss into pieces people can stand in front of and remember. [Add 1 to 3 key artworks, year and where shown]
A documentary series
Through her own channels, Maria creates documentary-style videos on femicide, including travelling to Athens to interview artists working on the subject. [Add channel link and number of episodes]
Recognition in Greek law
Maria is campaigning for the Greek parliament to recognise the term femicide, so these crimes are named for what they are. [Add petition, meetings or press, with dates]
Not one exhibition, a commitment
Femicide does not end when an exhibition closes, so neither does this project. It runs alongside everything we do: exhibitions, films, talks, partnerships and the stories people share with us. The spring open call is one chapter of it.
Project Anonymous Artist gives the project a home. Artists can take part anonymously, so no one's career is the story and anyone who needs to can speak safely. Aria and Maria fund the work themselves today, through their studio, materials, film and marketing, and their own time, and we are looking for partners to help it grow.
Where the project is going
Femicide open call and online exhibition
20 artworks selected from artists everywhere, shown online with their stories.
Exhibition in London, touring to Greece
A physical exhibition of new large-scale work, travelling from London to Greece.
Talks, screenings and workshops
Events with partner organisations, film screenings from the documentary series, and creative workshops.
The campaign continues
Until femicide is recognised in Greek law, and beyond, wherever it is still not named.
Work with us
This project grows through the people and organisations who join it. Whether you make art, run a space or work for women's rights, there is a place for you here.
Artists
Apply to the spring open call, or share a story through your art, named or anonymous, at any time.
Share a storyOrganisations
Women's rights groups, charities, galleries, venues, festivals and art schools: partner with us on exhibitions, talks, screenings and workshops.
Partner with usSupporters
Host the exhibition, sponsor new work, help us film, or simply share the project so more people hear these names.
Contact Aria & MariaFemicide, art against violence towards women
We welcome work on violence against women, grief, survival and remembrance, in any medium. Show it with your name or anonymously; the choice is yours. Submitting is free, and a small fee applies only if your work is selected.
If anything on this page affects you, you do not have to face it alone. In an emergency, call 999 in the UK or 112 in Greece.
UK: National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, 0808 2000 247, free and open 24 hours. Greece: SOS line for women, 15900, open 24 hours.