Gaetano Pesce's 'Maestà sofferente' installed in Ferrara for Women's Day

On March 8, 2021, a monumental installation by Gaetano Pesce titled 'Maestà sofferente' was unveiled at the Fiere e Congressi venue in Ferrara, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi. The 4-ton, 8-meter-high, 10-meter-wide, and 12-meter-long sculpture is a flesh-colored armchair pierced by 400 arrows, with a ball-shaped footrest held by a chain, surrounded by six predator animal heads (cobra, tiger, hyena, crocodile, lion, wolf). Inspired by Paleolithic Venus figurines, the work allegorizes male prejudice against women. The installation was supervised by Contemplazioni, requiring 14 trucks, 2 special transport vehicles, a crane, and four naval engineering workers over four days. The piece originally appeared in 2019 in Piazza Duomo, Milan, during the 50th anniversary of B&B Italia's Up 5&6 chair, where it was vandalized with red paint by the collective Non Una di Meno, who argued it depicted women as furniture. Luciana Littizzetto, on RAI's 'Che tempo che fa,' commented that men have no right to speak about women's issues. Sgarbi defended the installation, stating that men should demonstrate understanding of historical violence against women, and that the idea a feminist sculpture must be made by a woman is outdated. The work aims to raise awareness of male errors and daily abuses women endure.