An Italian street artist altered photographs of famous women to look bruised and battered to raise awareness for violence against women.
The artist, Alexsandro Palombo, included pictures of powerful women such as Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton that depicted them as victims of domestic abuse or rape. Graphic captions accompanied the pictures, including, “I am a victim of domestic abuse.”
Other posts included the captions: “ I am paid less. I’ve experienced genital mutilation. I do not have the right to dress as I want. I can’t decide who I’m going to marry. I was raped.”
The series, which Palombo titled “Just Because I am a Woman,” was hung on the streets of Milan. Palombo hoped his art would send the message that women can face violence no matter their background. He wanted his works “to illustrate the drama that affects millions of women throughout the world … with the aim of denouncing, raising awareness and obtaining a real response from institutions and politics.”
In an Instagram post, Palombo wrote, “Violence against women is a global issue that affects everyone, regardless of race, class or religion.”
Palombo has done similar projects to raise awareness for violence against women, including paintings of bruised Disney princesses such as Snow White, and Ariel from The Little Mermaid. He also included characters from The Simpsons and Wonder Woman.
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