Diana Anselmo's 'deafnotdead' Exhibition Confronts Historical Violence Against Deaf Community

Diana Anselmo (Palermo, 1997) presents 'deafnotdead' at Galleria Eugenia Delfini in Rome, exposing coercive practices historically inflicted on the Deaf community. The exhibition draws on research with the INJS (Institut National de Jeunes Sourds) in Paris, featuring photographic documents altered by the artist—she applies chewing gum to faces of Deaf subjects to obscure their identities while highlighting specialists who enforced oralism. The show references the 1880 Milan Congress that banned sign language, and the work of phonetician Hector-Victor Marichelle, who founded the Laboratorio della Parola and Clinica dell'Udito. Objects on display include a key, scissors, and hammer from François Truffaut's 1970 film 'L'Enfant Sauvage,' juxtaposed with a scalpel, scissors, and otoscope as new medical devices. Drawings express the frustration of students forced into articulation lessons. The exhibition reclaims Deaf dignity, focusing on France and Italy. Italian Sign Language (LIS) was only recognized in Italy in 2021.