A recent photo series showcasing some of the world’s most powerful women as beaten and bruised has raised both awareness and controversy, receiving both praise and criticism in its approach.
The works, which are photoshopped entities with famous women as the canvases, include Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Angela Merkle and Kamala Harris to name a few.
A recent photo series has opened the door to a hallway of conversations. The photo-shopped works which exhibit some of the most famous and powerful women in the world as canvass, see faces like Kate Middleton Michelle Obama, Angela Merkle and Kamala Harris to name a few, beaten and bruised.
View this post on Instagram
The artist behind the awareness-raising campaign is Alexsandro Palombo, an Italian multimedia artist whose works have previously been showcased across the world.
The campaign was created as part of the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,” and was influenced by the intention to “highlight the ineffectiveness of the support and protection system to the victims, as Marie Claire writes.
Further, it expands the public’s understanding of gender-based violence, in that it is a poison of society that extends beyond culture, race, heritage or social standing, yet the common denominator is always gender.
Although GBV can extend to women of various socio-political dynamics, this doesn’t generate equality in how the problem is dealt with. This is what Palombo’s work speaks to.
“Violence against women is a violation of human rights that largely remains unpunished. Only a few perpetrators of violence face a trial and even fewer are convicted,” says the artist.
The pieces also play on the media and headline narratives when it comes to GBV. Palombo’s captions are a testament to this.
“She reported him. But nobody believed her – but she was left alone. But she was not protected – but he was not stopped. But she was killed anyway.”
While the works have received a lot of praise, they have also been denounced because the photographs’ editing was not authorised.
Additionally, especially because the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s photo was used and has arguably garnered the most media attention, it was expected that the royal family would issue a stern response.
The Royal family has not responded to the use of doctored Kate Middleton’s photos and according to My London.
Also Read:
A little champion is born! Wayde van Niekerk and wife welcome baby boy
Picture: Instagram/ @alexsandropalombo