Bio – WOMEN IN THE DARK

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Franziska Greber is a Swiss artist and psychotherapist.

For over three decades, she is committed to artistic projects that address discrimination, violence, and gender stereotypes, while promoting inclusion, equality, and women’s and human rights.

As a psychotherapist, she worked primarily with survivors of violence, served as co-head of the intervention center against domestic violence at the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zurich, advised organizations at home and abroad, taught at universities and colleges, and wrote numerous articles in specialist journals and books.

Her artistic practice is also informed by her many years of experience as a trauma specialist. A central aspect of her work is the inseparable relationship between body, space, and context. She has contributed to numerous theater projects (including one realized in a Swiss men’s prison), worked as a script consultant for a Swiss documentary on depression, and contributed to the screenplay of a feature film on domestic violence.

In 2016, she initiated the international, transdisciplinary, and participatory art project WOMEN IN THE DARK against discrimination and violence.

All of her projects are grounded in the recognition that people share their most intimate experiences—especially in crisis-ridden contexts—only when anonymity and safe spaces are guaranteed and when they are assured that their voices will be heard and taken seriously. Making values visible, communicating planned actions, and initiating critical dialogue are essential components of this process in each respective work context. The voices of those affected contribute to the perception and visibility of these experiences and also encourage others to stand up for their rights and demands. Collaboration and participation form the anchor, while the various media serve as the means of her artistic intervention.

The materials created in these projects (texts, photographs, audios, and videos) are made available to her collaboration partners for further use.

Her artistic work spans a wide range of media, including installation, photography, video, text, performance, and audio.

EXHIBITIONS: WOMEN IN THE DARK

2023
Meckelhalle | Freiburg | Germany | Solo Show

2022
Rathaus Rostock | Schwerin, Waren & Greifswald | Germany | Solo Show

2021
Pinakothek der Moderne | DENKRAUM DEUTSCHLAND | Munich | Germany | Group Exhibition

2020
Baturu Cultural Festival | Beijing & Hongkong | China | digital Group Exhibition

2016
Crossroads Centre Art Space | Beijing | China | Group Exhibition

ART AWARD

2023
WOMEN IN THE DARK was awarded the German art prize The Power of the Arts by Philip Morris Gmbh

RESEARCH

Since 2024, WOMEN IN THE DARK has also been the focus of artistic research. „Combining art and science […] fulfills a long-standing goal […],“ says Dr. Müge Süer of the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).