Originally titled “I Don’t Give a F*ck”, this piece has been selected for the juried show at the City Gallery in Charleston, during the Spoleto Festival 2019, and I consider it my MonaLisa!
After the speech I gave (watch the video below), I had a couple of people approach me to say how excited they were to hear the story behind that piece.
At first, people may perceive this painting as a bit aggressive. I would say that is not totally wrong, however, the true meaning behind it has more to do with freedom of expression.
See, I am a feminist and it took me years before I could realize what that really means. Most of my friends were boys and I have always considered my self a tomboy, 0% girly.
As I grew older I learned to understand the true value of sisterhood. I was blessed to have some extremely supportive women come into my life when I needed it most, and I understood I was actually sexist myself until that point.
Being a feminist has to do with the belief that all genders deserve the same rights. It has to do with equality. I should not have to raise my voice to be heard, I should not have to work twice as hard to receive the same payment or recognition a man gets with half the effort.
Back to the story behind this piece… I moved to Charleston 3 years ago, all the way from São Paulo, Brazil. After a year I got representation from a gallery and had been painting mostly landscapes trying to fit in and make a living. At a certain point, I decided to work on some figurative pieces (I have always loved painting people) and I went for a nude, posted on social media and, to my surprise, I was told it was a big NO-NO here. Apparently, I live in an extremely conservative area.
Well, my blood was boiling and this image came to my mind so I immediately went on to work on a sketch and soon came up with this final piece.
I posted it on Facebook and Instagram.
While I lost many followers, I also had the best interaction ever with a post. People were commenting, loving the attitude, wanting to know more about it and even suggesting it should be the image to a feminist movement.
After some requests, I made some merchandise and to my surprise, I started getting orders from absolute strangers. This week I even had an order from the UK.
No need to say, the repercussion gave me a boost and I started a new series called “Like A Girl: Dare To Dream”. I am currently working on portraits of strong and inspiring women.
They won’t shut me up. My art is my voice and I intend to use it for the greater good.
Join the movement! Get your Tee, send a notecard, hang a poster at your office. Show that women have a voice and that we “don’t give a f*ck” to what the conservative people think. We are here to shine!
More info: fercaggiano.com
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