If I had to sum up this work in one word, it would be humanity. I portray young girls because, faced with childhood, everyone thinks back to their own story and to the judgement of others. The sculptures show, with discretion, the features of cleft lip, Down syndrome and achondroplasia without sliding into the grotesque: the balance between youth and difference aims to give dignity back to what society judges as non-conforming.
The project grew out of my second-level diploma thesis, Ars et Deformitas — anatomical difference in the history of art (Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara, 2023), and won the 17th National Arts Prize, Sculpture section. Exhibited from 3 December 2023 to 14 January 2024 at the Academy library. Each portrait is hand-carved in Carrara marble, approx. 30 × 30 × 40 cm, approx. 20 kg: polished geometric base, matte skin, chisel-worked hair.
Lorenzo Perrucci