Union Stewardettes

The project examines the emergence of women’s labor movements in early 20th-century Greece through the lens of the Raisin Workers’ Union of Aigio, “Mutual Aid.” This pioneering women’s union, established to safeguard the economic and professional interests of female workers, provides a powerful narrative of collective action and gendered labor history. Archival materials such as membership registers, meeting minutes, correspondence with the Ministry of Labor, election ballots, wage records, and even fingerprints in place of signatures were incorporated into the artwork, offering tangible traces of a community striving for rights and recognition.

Central to the project is the act of weaving, a practice historically associated with feminine purity and domesticity, contrasted here with the harsh realities and risks of industrial labor. Through the technique of paper-weaving, fragments from the union’s archives are interlaced to create visual patterns that echo the structural networks of solidarity formed by these women. The juxtaposition of these materials transforms the archival into the tactile, where the threads of history and gender consciousness intertwine.

By unfolding the stories of the women who were part of “Mutual Aid,” the project reveals broader narratives of gendered labor struggles and the intersection of private and public spheres. The work challenges traditional notions of weaving as domestic and passive, instead framing it as a medium of resistance and storytelling. In doing so, it not only reexamines the historical role of women’s labor unions but also foregrounds the ongoing dialogue about gender, work, and collective action.

Exhibition virtual tour: https://primarolia.com/virtual_exhibition_2021.html

photoς: Christos Spanos // Primarolia © 2021

• dimensions

  70 x 130 cm

• exhibition

  A stitch in time saves nine - Primarolia 2021

• curator

  Nansy Charitonidou, Vasilis Psarras

• venue

  Aigio PaperFactory Garden, Primarolia Festival 2021

• year

  2021