'Shirley', 2018. Duct tape on coated press board. Tape Art Convention, Berlin
Shirley (2018) is one of the most socially engaged and militant works of Carlo Galli's career, or, at least, one of his most outspoken. The artist chooses to depict the face of Shirley Chisholm, the first Afro-American woman ever elected to the US Congress (1968). With her motto unbought and unbossed, Shirley shook the prevailing hegemonic, hetero-patriarchal, white system that dominated the era's political and economical sphere and she stood out as a staunch defender of women and minorities. In addition to being viewed as a simple portrait, one should know it was made out of one of the most resistant and durable types of tape found in the US, a clear statement of intent by the Italian artist.
