Paper Madonnas

Saints, martyrs, queens

The Paper Madonnas are female figures inspired by religious iconography. They are saints and martyrs, but also products of the society that shaped them. They carry the weight of patriarchal norms, to which they are silent witnesses, and at the same time they hold resistance and life.

In this dialogue between past and present, the Madonna is no longer a symbol of submission. She becomes the figure of a woman who chooses, who passes through doubt and solitude to follow an inner truth greater than fear.

The material

Each figure is built from paper and cardboard, often salvaged. These are humble materials, meant to be thrown away, that here regain dignity and form. The hair is made of hand-cut paper feathers: fragile, yet light and agile, ready to fly.

The fragility of the materials is not a limit. It is the message of the work itself: what seems weak, when put together with care, holds.

From cage to crown

A golden cage rests on the head of each Madonna. It is the symbolic inheritance of every body that has been constrained, judged, and held back. It is also the starting point of a metamorphosis: once passed through, the cage turns into a crown.

This power is not won by force, but by awareness. It is an almost alchemical process, in which what once imprisoned becomes what crowns.

The five wounds

In front of the figure stands a kneeler, a symbol of both falling and rising. On it, the five emotional wounds are evoked, each represented by a colour:

• rejection
• abandonment
• humiliation
• betrayal
• injustice

These wounds are invisible yet deeply human, and many women carry them inside. In the work they become openings, narrow gaps through which light passes.