Photo : Steve Fiehl
Exhibition "My song will be but a silence" | With the Solenciel association
A photographic project on the reconstruction journeys of victims of prostitution, by Steve Fiehl, to be discovered from November 4 to 28, in echo of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. With the Maison des réfugiés.
Médiathèque James Baldwin (Paris 19th)
About
In France, it is estimated that 40,000 people are victims of prostitution. A large proportion are women from West Africa or Eastern Europe, recruited and then exploited by human trafficking networks.
Founded in Grenoble in 2017, the Solenciel association enables victims of prostitution to regain a dignified and chosen life through employment. It offers them an employment contract in springboard trades (cleaning, collective catering), combined with personalized social and professional support for 24 months: help with housing searches, assistance with asylum-related procedures, psychological support, training... Employment is the starting point for their reconstruction, and the support allows them to establish themselves sustainably. Nearly 200 women have been supported in leaving prostitution since its creation. Solenciel is currently present in Grenoble, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, and Nanterre.
Produced from November 2024 to December 2025 in Grenoble, this photographic work explores the long inner journey traveled by these women: a story of violence and the destruction of their identity, then of patient reconstruction, to heal multiple traumas and become actors in their own lives again.
All outdoor images were taken in the streets of Grenoble, particularly in prostitution districts, or in the surrounding region. Some of these women wished to remain anonymous and requested that their portraits not allow them to be recognized. Studio and outdoor work was necessary to offer a neutral space. One woman, however, agreed to have her portrait taken in her first apartment in France, the starting point of her new life.
Steve Fiehls
Trained in 2018 at the International Center of Photography (New York), Steve has since dedicated himself to social photography projects that explore, through intimate portraits, issues of fragility and resilience. His first project, Resilient Souls, an 18-month immersion in homeless reintegration centers in New York City, was exhibited in 2019 at the International Center of Photography Museum and published in several American photo magazines. It also resulted in a book.
Back in France, he works in parallel on several projects, usually over several years. Passeurs, dedicated to the end of life, with sensitive portraits of people suffering from very serious illnesses who testify to their relationship with their approaching death, was exhibited at the UN in Geneva in 2022.
Puissantes, which explores the journeys of women entrepreneurs from neighborhoods in the Paris region and Marseille, has been exhibited since 2023 in the Hall of Honor at HEC, before being published as a book by Hemeria in December 2025.
Les Hérauts de l’Océan, a series of portraits of great oceanologists and environmentalists from around the planet expressing their anger and determination to save the oceans, was exhibited on the Quais de Seine as part of PhotoClimat in September 2025.
Steve is currently collaborating with several associations on long-term photo projects, including the Salvation Army, Jesuit Refugee Services (asylum seekers), and Solenciel.
Our take on this event
Step into a visual narrative of intimate recovery, shifting between the shadows of the past and the light of a new beginning. These compelling portraits highlight the resilience of women rebuilding their lives, turning their journey toward dignity into a profoundly human experience.
The James Baldwin Library presents the exhibition Ma chanson ne sera qu’un silence from 4 November to 28 November 2026. This photographic series by Steve Fiehls, in partnership with the association Solenciel, documents the path to recovery for women who have survived prostitution. Through intimate portraits captured in Grenoble, the artist explores themes of trauma, resilience, and reclaiming one's life. This event is free and open to everyone aged 12 and up. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible and provides specific accommodations for visitors with visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments, including sign language support.
This exhibition highlights the essential work of Solenciel, an organization dedicated to helping survivors of human trafficking. By providing stable employment and comprehensive 24-month social support, the association assists women in rebuilding their lives with dignity. Between November 2024 and December 2025, photographer Steve Fiehls followed this journey, capturing the complex process of healing from deep-seated trauma.
The collection features images taken in Grenoble's streets, as well as studio portraits designed to ensure the anonymity and safety of the participants. One photograph captures a woman in her first apartment in France, marking the beginning of a fresh start. The work serves as a testament to the resilience of those moving from exploitation toward self-determination.
Admission is free and open to the public from age 12. The James Baldwin Library ensures an inclusive experience for all, with full accessibility for wheelchair users and specific adaptations for those with cognitive, hearing, or visual disabilities, including sign language resources available on-site.
