The Power of ‘No’: An Art Exhibition

It may seem paradoxical, but at an exhibition that talks about consent, the most recurring word in the works on display is ‘no’: that refusal which should be enough to quell inappropriate desires and unrequited attention, a simple word that, too often, is not enough. It also appears twice in the title of the exhibition itself, set up from yesterday until October 10 at the Academy of Fine Arts, ‘If I don’t want it, you can’t’, promoted by the Una Nessuna e Centomila foundation in conjunction with tomorrow night’s concert by Fiorella Mannoia & Co. at Piazza Plebiscito. It is curated by academy professors Enrica D’Aguanno and Daniela Pergreffi with Nicoletta Rondinella, responsible for the ‘Comicon’ exhibitions since the initiative was organized with the comic book fair. There are 53 authors of the works, all students of the Academy, who have addressed the theme of consent in sexual and affective dynamics using a pop style for the illustrations and videos created: among these, a cartoon in which the fairy tale prince waits for the sleeping beauty to wake up and perhaps agree before kissing her. Or the myth is invoked, recalling Daphne’s refusal to Apollo with the transformation of the young nymph into a tree: this time, it is the god who becomes a plant and not the girl. Some slogans are very amusing: ‘Si’ ‘o suspiro mie’, in Neapolitan dialect, with the subtitle ‘Yes, but let me breathe’. The field expands to social expectations that especially affect women: the strip of the old bunny asking the granddaughter when she will marry and have children is supplanted by the one next to it in which the grandmother only asks the young girl how she is. ‘In the works, a reflection takes shape that stimulates the imagination, questions established narratives, attacks stereotypes where they lurk, even in the most unsuspected contexts,’ say the curators. ‘At first, we encountered some difficulties: the students instinctively thought we wanted to talk about gender violence and femicide. While the theme of consent is at the basis of dynamics between genders and also involves other cases, such as the so-called role that a woman should have in society, as a mother and wife, whose persistence we want to disprove. During the workshops with the young people, we then found the right keys and are happy with the path taken even before the results.’ The comment of Giulia Minoli, president of the foundation, present at the inauguration of the exhibition: ‘We are working on a great cultural change and feel the need for an alliance between institutions in this battle, and the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples and the Comicon in this sense are ideal partners. The exhibition is a piece of a journey: the prevention and contrast of gender violence pass through collective responsibility.’ Also presented was the book ‘Senza legge’, published by Tlon, edited by Celeste Costantino, Giulia Minoli, Monica Pasquino, Alessia Crocini, and Lella Palladino. The exhibition features the campaigns ‘L’amore conta’ and ‘Io sono io’, created by students of the Radice Amaturo middle school in Naples.