I don't quite remember the first time I heard of Natali, or the first time I had the pleasure of hearing her talk about her work.
She is the kind of person that effortlessly and elegantly becomes part of one's awareness. I feel like she has always been a part of my life. There's a familiarity, a sense of comfort that I glean from her work. It’s intimate. It’s captivating.
She is now one of my points of artistic reference. Not only can I relate to her themes, but also, I am painfully reminded daily of how relevant these issues are for society at large.
You might not be acquainted with the term "femicide", but I have no doubt that you have come across cases on the newspapers or on social media.
Femicide (violence against women) is at the core of Bravo-Barbee's work since 2019, and her need to highlight it as the shameful phenomenon that it is, springs from a very personal experience.
While violence of any kind is reprehensible, there is something particularly devastating about this insidious form of violence directed towards women and girls. Even if you have not suffered from it personally, you can understand it in a very visceral way. These are corrosive events that devastate the families and communities involved.
Indeed, it needs to be recognized that femicide is a symptom of a much larger deficit in modern societies. It points to a distortion in the value system we operate under, and to the unspoken existence of second-class individuals whose lives are not seen as worthy.
Learn more about this critical issue through the exquisite creations of Natali Bravo-Barbee.
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