“The Lost Venus” is an artwork that addresses the subject of female genital mutilations and other different forms of violence against women.

In the image, one can observe, surrounded by surgical instruments, the figure of a faceless woman, whose reflection in mirrors represents all the women, adult and child alike, who every day are victims of physical and psychological violence —  inhumane and atrocious actions that mutilate body and soul.

I am truly honored that the organizers of the Second International Summit on Female Genital Mutilations held on 24 June 2022, at the Aula Magna of the University of Padova have decided to utilize, once again, my artwork, “The Lost Venus”, as their event image. I was honored that it was used also two years ago for the first event, held at the University of Naples Federico II.

I am truly grateful to Dr. Stefania de Fazio, who has been actively involved in organizing both events, for having inspired me in producing this artwork.

I fully support all that can be done, socially, economically and politically, to put an end to female genital mutilation. It goes beyond my worst nightmare imagining what women subjected to infibulation must have gone through and are still going through because this horrible and barbaric practice has not yet been eliminated. Regrettably, today, in some places in the world, women have limited rights, but in others, they are in even a worse condition: they have no rights at all. Female genital mutilation is the epitome and dramatic heredity of female subjugation to a male chauvinistic view of the world. It is time for all human beings, whatever was their sex at birth or what they consider their current gender, to stand up and put a stop to this form of enslavement.

Below the link of the article published on Vanity Fair and on the University of Padova online magazine: