WOMEN OF VISION by Simone Gilges (Germany) tackles the lack of representation of womеn in public heritage, for example in terms of monuments or sculptures of historical female figures, which is a fact. This tendency isn’t just a local problem, but indeed an issue rooted beyond our geographical latitude. It is social displacement, related to the role and the visibility of prominent female figures in the construct of society. The ongoing research and work by the German artist Simone Gilges are focused on the idea of promoting the image of prominent female figures and empowering women across different parts of the world. The emphasis and specificity of her research call for equal rights, regardless of origin and gender, race, social class, sexuality or religion. Her portrait photography is the tool for manifesting the need for a healthy environment and improved living conditions, bringing forth ideas for a better life in the here and now.

Simone Gilges is a photographer and artist, who’s been living in Berlin for the last 25 years. Since 1995 she has collaborated with the artist group Honey-Suckle Company. They produce installations with fabrics, music, photos, films, and objects, shown in various international exhibitions. Since 2003 she has been the editor and publisher of freier – magazine for the mental state, a photo fanzine compiling mostly photographic essays. In the last 10 years, Gilges has been involved in several projects in Africa, workshops and cultural exchange. She has published a photo book about the differences and communities of the city of Dakar and Berlin, in collaboration with the Senegalese photographer Mamadou Gomis. Gilges images are iconified symbols to express ideas of freedom, mind-traveling and miraculous experiences to make the viewer reflect on themselves from a metaphysical perspective.

WOMEN OF VISION by Simone Gilges is part of the art interventions, curаted by The Fridge and realized as part of “Sense of a City: Inclusive, Safe and Sustainable Plovdiv”, a project by the Bulgarian Fund for Women, implemented as a part of the program Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.