Through commemorative portraits, sculptures, acts of visual mapping, and forensic reconstructions, the exhibition presents a range of perspectives that make visible what is often rendered invisible. The artists’ works serve as powerful tools of memory, mourning, resistance, and transformation, inviting viewers to reflect deeply on the lived experiences behind the data.

 Lydia Venieri, War Games - Afghan Women at the gallows,  2007
Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery is
proud to present

”Femicide”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


 

New York, NY – The Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is proud to announce its Fall 2025 exhibition, Femicide, on view from September 3 through October 24th, 2025, celebrated with an opening reception on Wednesday September 3rd, 2025 from 6 - 8PM. Curated by Thalia Vrachopoulos, this urgent and timely exhibition confronts the global epidemic of gender-based violence, giving voice to a crisis that demands cultural reckoning and systemic change.


The Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
860 11th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
 

According to a 2024 report by the United Nations, an average of 140 women per day are killed by intimate partners or family members—a staggering figure that equates to one life lost every ten minutes. Femicide responds to this grim statistic by assembling the works of artists –– including Roya Amigh, Isabella Baraona, Natalia Bravo-Barbee, Yiannis Christakos, Donna Ferrato, Elli Chrysidou, Maria Karemetou, Fay Ku, Cyriaco Lopes, Arlene Love, Despo Magoni, Nefeli Massia, Emma McCagg, Elise Rasmussen, Mary Ting, Lydia Venieri, and Alison Whitmore. These are artists whose practices engage with the realities and repercussions of violence against women, transwomen, and nonbinary individuals.


Through commemorative portraits, sculptures, acts of visual mapping, and forensic
reconstructions, the exhibition presents a range of perspectives that make visible what is often rendered invisible. The artists’ works serve as powerful tools of memory, mourning, resistance, and transformation, inviting viewers to reflect deeply on the lived experiences behind the data.
 

Femicide confronts one of the most urgent human rights issues of our time: the killing of non-binary individuals because they are nonbinary. Bringing together a diverse group of contemporary artists, the exhibition presents powerful works that bear witness to systemic violence, honor the lives of victims, and demand accountability.

 

Hosted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice—an institution uniquely positioned at the intersection of scholarship, advocacy, and social justice—the exhibition transforms the gallery into a space of remembrance, resistance, and dialogue.

Public Programs

In conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery will host a range of public programs designed to foster dialogue and collective reflection:

  •  Opening Reception: 6 - 8PM, Wednesday September 3, 2025
  • Symposium: October 15 th , a symposium featuring international scholars, activists, and artists discussing femicide, intersectionality, and justice
  • Ceramic Grief Workshop: A limited-capacity, hands-on session in which participants create commemorative urns to honor lives lost to femicide. [Registration details TBA]

About the Gallery

Located at 860 11 th Avenue, within John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery is uniquely positioned at the intersection of art and justice. Its programming explores complex societal issues through contemporary art, offering critical space for dialogue, dissent, and negotiations of themes of justice.

About the curator

Thalia Vrachopoulos holds a doctorate in the Philosophy of Art History from the City University of New York Graduate School. She has served as a curator for over one hundred national and international exhibitions accompanied by scholarly catalogues. Dr. Vrachopoulos is a full-time professor of visual arts at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New
York. She has written scholarly essays and reviews for WhitehotMagazine.com, Tussle.com, NYArts Magazine, Visual Culture AD, Part, +-0, Public Art, Art in Culture, Art in Asia and Sculpture, Culture Catch.com, ArtInternational.com and has been included in many international panels. Dr. Vrachopoulos has co-authored a book on Hilla Rebay, the founder of the Guggenheim Museum, and countless catalogs and essays.

For more information please contact:
Contact: Dr Macushla Robinson
Email: marobinson@jjay.cuny.edu
Phone: 646 923 5160
Website: www.shivagallery.org



Gallery Hours: 10 AM- 6 PM, M – F