My fourth artist’s book is finally ready: it took me a lot of time and effort to make it.
The title Ferite in Italian carries a dual meaning. As a noun, it refers to wounds—physical or emotional. As a past participle, it evokes women who have suffered an affront, a rupture in the fabric of their lives. These wounds—whether from the loss of a lover, a child, a home, a community, childhood, dignity, or the future—remain hidden yet inflict a silent, devastating pain. To be acknowledged, they require deep listening, a shared understanding between allied souls.
This book presents portraits of six women: mothers who have lost their children, child brides robbed of their youth, and women from marginalized ethnic groups, trapped in lives of segregation with no escape. Each portrait is created using linoleum prints on old, stained fabric, then sewn onto another piece of cloth with white, red, and black thread. The tearing and fraying of the fabric symbolize their suffering.
Finally, I rolled the strip of cloth like a bandage, sealing it with a ribbon that bears a brief explanation of its contents.
As is tradition with my books, a short stop-motion film will accompany it. We are currently working on it.
