NO BOMB: Paola Gandolfi's Wearable Sculptures Protest War

In response to the Russian missile strike on the Ivankiv Local History Museum near Kyiv, which destroyed 25 works by Ukrainian naïf artist Mariia Pryimachenko (1909–1997), Italian artist Paola Gandolfi (born 1949 in Rome) has created the NO BOMB series of wearable sculptures. The collection, part of her broader Rondine in Fiamme project launched in 2019, condemns all forms of war and violence. Gandolfi's pieces are produced for Alveare di Artemide in collaboration with Le Sibille, a trio of internationally renowned Roman goldsmiths specializing in minute micromosaic—a technique originating in 18th-century Rome that uses tiny glass tesserae on copper grids. The NO BOMB series features missile-shaped wearable sculptures adorned with micromosaic floral details and anti-war inscriptions. Project curator Irene Galandra noted that the destruction of Pryimachenko's works mirrors the violence of war, while Marina Balsano, a parliamentary law expert and jewelry enthusiast, founded Alveare di Artemide to create unique wearable sculptures addressing global issues like global warming, minority rights, and war. The project aims to give voice to these concerns through art.