VENICE, ITALY (TEH) – In the vibrant city of Puglia, a new artistic addition has roused spirited debate among townsfolk and on social media platforms. Its muse? A statue of a mermaid with pronounced feminine features, including, in the words of Italian actress Tiziana Schiavarelli, “way too big silky lagoon tits and a bigger ass than any mermaid has ever seen.”
While Schiavarelli concedes her distaste for the sculpture, she recognizes its potential for drawing much-needed attention and tourism to their humble town.
Seen as an artistic tribute to curvaceous women by Adolfo Marciano, a professor at the art school responsible for the statue’s creation, the mermaid embodies a differing representation of the female form than traditionally portrayed. Marciano insists that the sculpture honors “women with lines, round women…It’s far from all thin women, the number of women in Italy is more compact and this must be understood and respected.”
Astonished by the wave of controversy, the city council reaffirmed its support for the project, underscoring that they had approved the design. Marciano urged gratitude towards the students for their bold departure from the usual portrayal of women as lithe models.
However, not everyone shares this perspective. Some residents find the mermaid’s voluptuous physique inappropriate for public spaces, with arguments that her breasts and buttocks are excessively provocative and unsuitable for children.
This is far from the first instance where female-focused sculpture has created a stir in Italy. Back in 2021, a bronze statue of a woman clad in a see-through dress, located in the town of Sapri in Campania, faced similar criticism. Sculptor Emanuele Stifano’s creation, intended as a tribute to a poem about the 1806 Naples revolution, instead triggered a vehement discussion on gender equality.
A collective of women politicians from the Democratic Party of Palermo condemned the statue, stating, “Once again we must endure the humiliation of seeing women only as sexual beings, soulless bodies, unrelated to the social and political issues of history.”
The group contended that the semi-nude sculpture in no way represented the revolution or women’s rights, reducing the female figure to a mere sexual object. However, Stifano defended his work, stating on Facebook, “if it had been up to me, the statue would have been completely naked…simply because I love the human body”. He urged critics to appreciate the artistic merit instead of focusing on perceived depravity.
Despite the heated debate surrounding them, both statues continue to occupy their respective places, silently challenging societal norms and perceptions of femininity. These striking depictions serve as focal points for discourse on the portrayal of women in art and society, further fueling the ongoing conversation on gender representation and equality.
