The Special Merit Recognition of the Jury in Art and of the Criticism Dionysian Apollo Rome 2026
The International Academy of Signification Poetry and Contemporary Art, in training agreement with the University of Roma Tre, accredited by the Lazio Region, by Roma Capitale and promoted by Italian Cultural Institute of New York, for the awarding of the Special Merit Recognition of the Jury in Art and of the Criticism in semiotic aesthetic method of the President for your work “Woman 2023”, which will also be published in the Academic Exhibition of Contemporary Art online.
´Description of the work
All living things share the same ivory bones beneath their skin and flesh. This realization transformed the skeleton for me—from an image of death and fear into a universal symbol of equality.
My exploration began in 2018 with the first piece in this series, Woman, created using a papier-mâché method combined with silk gauze. The moment I attached long hair to the skull, it instantly read as female. This immediate association forced me to confront my own deeply ingrained, lifelong stereotypes. In my second work, Woman (2022), I planted long hair onto a wire skeleton, continuing to challenge the viewer's immediate assumption of gender based entirely on a single physical marker and a title.
For Woman (2023), I have layered additional stereotypes of race and nationality. I braided the skull’s long hair into dreadlocks and bound them using Japanese 5-yen coins. In Japan, 5 yen is pronounced “Go-en” (五円), a word signifying fate, connection, and the building of good relationships, often used as an offering at shrines and temples. Holding a deeply personal connection, these specific coins were minted in the year I was born.
By introducing dreadlocks and cultural currency, the nationality and identity of Woman (2023) become intentionally ambiguous. The piece serves as a mirror for the audience. I hope viewers will interpret this work in various ways, ultimately realizing that their interpretations are reflections of the subconscious biases, prejudices, and delusional stereotypes we all cultivate within society.
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