Juliana Notari’s monumental vulva sculpture ‘Diva’ sparks political controversy in Brazil

Brazilian artist Juliana Notari (b. 1975) created 'Diva', a 33-meter-long, 16-meter-wide red vulva sculpture installed at the Usina de Arte sculpture park in Água Preta, Brazil. The work, commissioned by the Museu de Arte Moderna Magalhães as the first piece by a woman in the park’s history, became a viral sensation and a focus of political controversy, particularly under the Bolsonaro administration. Notari describes 'Diva' as a wound that addresses misogyny, patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism, and violence against female and Earth bodies. The sculpture is part of a two-decade-long research trajectory that includes urban intervention 'Spalt-me' and performance 'D-ra Diva', which explore the female body, penetration, and wounding. The site, a former sugar mill, was damaged by monoculture and slavery. Notari emphasizes that while phallic forms are normalized in architecture, vulvar forms are attacked. The work took 11 months to complete, complicated by the pandemic, and required manual excavation due to terrain constraints. Notari lived on-site during creation and noted growing local acceptance. She asserts art’s role is to problematize and contest patriarchal and capitalist models.