Opening Friday 27 May 6-8pm
Patience is the title given to a wedding dress made by Lisa-Marie Vassilakoglou, worn for her own wedding and about which she writes:
I was inspired to make it especially because my grandmother had made hers. She has now ripped up her dress and made little handkerchiefs for her own future funeral so that people can take a piece of her with them, when she passes on … In Greek culture women are expected to get married and be virgins, they are expected to wear a white beautiful dress, one that particularly covers the shoulders, and afterwards they are expected to survive the many challenges that come with marriage without giving up and turning to divorce.
Patience is a fact of my hand-sewing the lace on the hem, hand-sewing the crystals and pearls, hand-sewing the embroidery to the bodice. It is a dying trade, dressmaking, and it was something that our grandmothers had to do especially in the war … I want to pass my dress down to my children so that they always have something from me that was made with love and patience.
Garifallitsa-Marie Vassilakoglou also known as Lisa-Marie Vassis/Vassilakoglou is a Darwin born and bred artist with a particular interest in fashion. She began a business in fashion design while still at high school, and graduated in Fashion Design and Visual Arts from Charles Darwin University (2005-09). Lisa-Marie has worked as a fashion designer in Australia and Greece, and achieved many career accolades including consecutive state/NT finalist for Jeans for Genes Day-related designs (2007/08), and top-10 finalist for NT Young Achieve of the Year Arts Award (2009). She has also designed and made dance costumes for a Greek-Cypriot community youth group. Lisa-Marie also works in photography, performance and painting and has exhibited twice in the annual Portrait of a Senior Territorian Award, receiving a Highly Commended in 2009 for her painting of her grandmother Sevasti Halkitis.