Seventeen women, Italian and foreign, victims of trafficking and domestic violence, for an exhibition that was born from the idea of making concrete the concept of healing and rebirth from the condition of victim. The exhibition is entitled ‘Healing and growing through the art of women’, and until mid-June it will be open to visitors in the departures area of the Bari Palese airport of Aeroporti di Puglia. The idea comes from the Argentine artist Belén Basombrìo and was supported by the ‘Stefano Fumarulo’ Social Anti-Mafia Foundation which created it in collaboration with the Aps Giraffa.
The protagonists of this journey are women that the Giraffa operators have taken on board, in a journey of liberation and self-reconquest, and who have freely chosen to take part in the sewing workshops using waste fabrics, leftovers or processing waste, creating artefacts that are a tangible expression of their journey. The association manages the ‘Paola Labriola’ anti-violence centre, 4 branches, one of which is online on its website, a shelter and a semi-autonomous house.
The departures area of the Aeroporti di Puglia airport in Bari is not a place chosen by chance for the exhibition. In fact, it is a place of (re)departure in which to reflect on a highly topical issue such as the fight against violence against women, one of the topics that will be discussed during the G7 summit scheduled for 13 to 15 June next, in Puglia.
The exhibition is an immersive journey into the pain and redemption of women victims of violence. The public will be guided by a red thread that recalls the textile nature of the exhibition on the one hand, and the color representative of gender violence on the other. It will be an immersion in the drama of women, but also in their rebirth.
“Art has the extraordinary power to help people, even those who have suffered indescribable violence, to rewrite the meanings of their lives, and the exhibition inaugurated this morning confirms this – declared the president of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano – The works that are part of this exhibition were created by 17 women victims of trafficking and domestic violence; their works, produced through the noble and traditional art of sewing, tell the profound meaning of that painful but necessary activity to resume one’s path after the violence suffered. It is on the meaning of rebirth that we must focus. For this, I thank the Giraffa association which, with the guidance of the Argentine artist Belén Basombrìo, accompanied these women on a healing journey, and the Fumarulo Foundation which, through these activities, carries forward the ideas and values of Stefano Fumarulo, which helped us make Puglia one of the most advanced regions in the non-repressive fight against criminal activities“.
“The Foundation and the partners of this project are proud to have brought a clear message in defense of all women victims of violence – stated Angelo Pansini, president of the ‘Stefano Fumarulo’ Social Anti-Mafia Foundation – They have done this by working over the past few months with women marked by trafficking and violence, and they are continuing to do so by bringing, before many eyes, the works of those women, full of stories, pain and the desire to start again. The artefacts on display are simply made, but behind them there are the stories of these and many other women, who try to heal their wounds and find new paths in life. We would like this small initiative of ours to be useful to remember, today as every day, how much more is needed for our communities to work at every level to protect and support women victims of violence and to build with them and for them new opportunities to start again“.
The event is the result of an experience that allowed the women involved to “heal and grow” together, also with respect for the environment and with a view to circularity and reuse of raw materials. And it is precisely reuse that makes visible the path of change of victims of violence, often considered as objects and waste.
“Art can bear witness and give voice where states and civil societies fail – claims the artist Belén Basombrìo – Art can heal, repair and offer the opportunity to think about alternatives for moving forward. It is our duty, as artists, to be present and find an alternative life, to invent new practices and projects that are collaborative and horizontal. Engaging our creativity in relationships with the most vulnerable forms of human life is the
most important gesture we can do to make the world a livable place for everyone“.
“I thank the Stefano Fumarulo Foundation, and in particular Marialuisa Pantaleo mother of Stefano and Angelo Pansini, for having thought of Giraffa for the creation of the artistic laboratory skilfully created thanks to the creativity of Belén Basombrìo – said the president of APS Giraffa, Maria Pia Vigilante – The workshops, among the women coming from different life experiences and different ethnic groups, released an enormous positive energy among all of them, so much so as to induce them to open up, have fun together, see each other beyond the workshop and therefore be able to process and move beyond their own pain thanks to art“.
“The merciless numbers still tell of too many women who are victims of violence – declared the president of Aeroporti di Puglia – Terrible data which, however, is underestimated compared to an unknown reality which still sees many women forced to suffer in silence. With this initiative, Aeroporti di Puglia wants to reiterate its closeness to women. A choice that is not new, of strong social value, made of daily commitment. It is no coincidence that for some time now, two red benches have been installed in the airports of Bari and Brindisi, to keep the attention of those passing through our airports high on what is a social emergency to which due attention is not always paid, if not on the emotional wave of tragic events. For this reason, through this exhibition, we want to make our contribution to shaking consciences so that we can put an end to what, day after day, takes on the features of authentic barbarism that we all, without exception, must commit ourselves to defeating, restoring a peaceful future. to the women who fight for their dignity“.
