Sisterhood Sanctuary: A Solo Exhibition by Ornelle Chimi

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 2nd | 6pm - 9pm

In a time defined by political uncertainty and deepening social fracture, spaces of tenderness and affirmation are increasingly rare. The world has grown harsher for many, a truth that is perpetually palpable for Black women, whose bodies, voices, and very presence are so often sites of contestation. And yet, Black women continue to carve out sanctuaries: spaces built not of brick and mortar, but of bond and becoming.

Sisterhood Sanctuary, the first solo exhibition by photographer Ornelle Chimi is a visual ode to these spaces. Across a series of portraits that center Black women in relationship (with each other and themselves) Chimi reveals a world where sisterhood is both shield and salve. The exhibition explores sisterhood in its many forms: biological, chosen, communal.

What began as a personal reflection on the life-saving nature of sisterhood in the artist’s own world evolved into a broader exploration of Black women’s relationships as sites of refuge, celebration, and intergenerational strength. In these frames, women cheer one another on, console each other, and witness one another’s beauty. In every case, the intimacy offers glimpses into the lifelong becoming that Black women do together, again and again, in the face of the world.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Ornella Chimi is a Maryland based Cameroonian American photographer whose work captures the beauty, intimacy, and strength she sees within Black diasporic communities. While she first established herself as a fashion photographer, working with clients such as The Wiz, Nike, and Google, her debut solo exhibition, Sisterhood Sanctuary, marks a meaningful expansion beyond the commercial space into a more personal, narrative-driven artistic practice. In Sisterhood Sanctuary, Chimi offers a visual ode to the bonds Black women form with one another—bonds that persist and flourish even amid deepening social fracture. Her work as a visual storyteller spans geographies, from Douala, Cameroon to Prince George’s County, Maryland, but remains rooted in a singular mission: to inspire her audience to cherish their communities and to seek solace and strength in collective care.

KEY QUOTE

“I think about how the women in my life have damn near saved me.. How they’ve allowed me the space to be myself, how they give me the space to be free and be as vulnerable as I want to be. They’ve been my sanctuary from everything else that might be happening in my life and everything else that might be happening in the world.”