23/01/2023 Session | Equality and Non-Discrimination
PACE President Tiny Kox, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo (Monaco, ALDE), Vice-President of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, today inaugurated the exhibition ‘The Red Dress’, organised during the parliamentary session (23-27 January), in the presence of the British artist Kirstie Macleod.
“We can read this dress as if it were a book, telling the personal stories of each embroiderer,” Ms Fresko-Rolfo said. “The Parliamentary Assembly will in turn contribute to this symbolic garment and will be represented by the 12 stars of the European flag which will be embroidered onto the dress during this week. The stars, of different sizes, will represent all the diversity of our countries and their peoples,” Ms Fresko-Rolfo underlined.
The dress, a collaborative embroidery project, made up of 85 pieces of silk, was worked on by 363 women, 7 men and 2 non-binary artists from 50 countries, including refugees from war-torn countries, asylum seekers and women from vulnerable communities. Over the 13 years of its making, the dress has become a platform for expression and an opportunity for all voices to be amplified and heard.
The exhibition also features photos of the embroidery process.