Petite Doll x AURORA: AWAKENING II,

2025,

Footnotes

"AWAKENING II" is a mixed-media collaboration between artist-photographer Petite Doll and musician AURORA, a dialogue between mediums where art connects and evolves through shared visions. The piece explores transformation, vulnerability, and the painful yet essential journey of reconnecting with our true essence. A ritual of discovery, a willingness to embrace the unsettling alongside the beautiful. In this dance between darkness and light, art guides us through the shadows to find the path back to ourselves.

Petite Doll Italian‑born and London‑based, Giulia Grillo works under the artistic alter‑ego "Petite Doll", crafting a unique blend of surreal self‑portraiture, performance and photographic art. With a background in graphic design and a Master of Arts in Photography, Grillo transforms her figure into dream‑like characters that blur the line between the beautiful and the grotesque. Her series such as The Crab Girl explore themes of identity, transformation and the uncanny by using prosthetics, sculptural props and layered set‑design to construct otherworldly visual narratives.

AURORA is a singer­–songwriter, producer and performer whose music blends art‑pop, folk and electropop into ethereal soundscapes. Raised in the rural Norwegian landscapes of Høle and Os, she began composing songs and learning dance at age six, later expanding her practice to piano, percussion and full production. Her debut album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend (2016) went to number one in Norway. On her more recent album What Happened to the Heart? (2024) she explored themes of climate, spiritual connection and empathy—committing a portion of royalties to environmental charity. AURORA's live presence is elemental and other‑worldly; critics note her ability to make large audiences feel intimate, grounded in both nature and technology.

Provenance:
Donated directly by the artists to In Place of War for this sale.
All proceeds from the sale of this Lot will go to the charity In Place Of War, which is a global organisation that uses creativity in places of conflict as a tool for positive change.

MUSIC SHAPED is a project from non-profit organisation In Place of War that pairs musical and cultural icons with exceptional visual artists to create works reflecting how music has influenced their lives. The collaboration begins with a recorded conversation between the visual artist and musician, and results in the creation of a brand new artwork reflecting their conversations and creative journeys.

In Place of War is a UK-based, global organisation that uses artistic creativity in places impacted by conflict and climate change as a tool for positive change. In Place of War supports grassroots change-makers in music, theatre and visual art, to transform cultures of violence and suffering into hope, opportunity and freedom. Starting as a research project at the University of Manchester in 2004, initial research findings spurred practical projects and programming. Twenty years later, In Place of War works with a change-maker network of 130 creative organisations across 30 countries, all making lasting change in their communities. Artist ambassadors and fellow supporters include Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Martin Aitkens, Ed O'Brien, Peter Hook, Laurie Anderson and Nitin Sawhney.

Proceeds from the sale of MUSIC SHAPED artworks will support In Place of War's #HackMusic Programme, which provides critical catalyst funding to support the development of essential life-changing music projects with indigenous communities; LGBTQI+ artists; artists in conflict zones; and artists responding to the climate crisis.

For more information please visit: https://www.inplaceofwar.net/