This exhibition is an outcome of my MA thesis, completed in 2023, based on ethnographic research conducted in Siena, Italy. It explores the complex experiences of migrant women from diverse cultural backgrounds navigating the intersections of neoliberalism, consumerism and postfeminism. The research explores how these women construct their identities within a Western context that promotes constant self-monitoring and transformation, often influenced by media portrayals.

Drawing on my experience as a fashion photographer, I have re-imagined visual practices to unpack power structures and promote a new form of collaborative storytelling. Migrant women, often portrayed as an unrepresented or marginalised group, are presented here as active participants in shaping their own visual narratives.

By integrating photography into informal and conversational ethnographic processes, this project moves beyond static representation. It positions photography as a tool for commoning - creating shared spaces of trust and dialogue where identities are collaboratively visualised rather than objectified. The work highlights the transformative potential of photography as a 'new way of knowing', where the medium becomes a site of solidarity, resistance and critique.

The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the ways in which media practices can critique power structures while promoting new commons. It offers a nuanced portrayal of migrant women, challenging dominant narratives and celebrating the complexity of their lived experiences within shifting cultural landscapes.

Dafina Gashi is a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology and European ethnology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Her research focuses on beauty practices and the pursuit of belonging among young women in post-independence Kosovo. Her research interests include visual anthropology, gender and sexuality and the anthropology of the body.