An art installation in front of the Milan Cathedral causes excitement: At the furniture fair in the Italian city, the designer Gaetano Pesce erected an eight-meter-high sculpture depicting a woman's body in an armchair shape.
The work of art is peppered with numerous arrows that pierce the lap and the breasts. Around the installation called "Maestà Sofferente" (Suffering Majesty) are set up wolf, snake and lion heads. Now, the provocative presentation provides criticism.
"For the umpteenth time, the woman is portrayed as a helpless body and victim without ever mentioning the cause of the violence," criticized the women's rights group Non una di meno. "The chair and the pincushion lack head, hands and everything that makes up the humanity of a being."
On Facebook, the group also released a video of a protest action before installation. Minister of Culture Alberto Bonisoli, on the other hand, stated that contemporary art must be provocative, "otherwise it is not art".
The designer Pesce became famous with his inflatable "Up" armchair in the 60s. The furniture fair takes place from Tuesday to Saturday.