Imparare a dire no

A real visual cry, an act of growth, often painful, that requires breaking free from others' expectations. The irregular black frame is a metaphor for social pressure, rules, and what is imposed on us from the outside. It is the boundary that defines us, but which often confines us. An “X”—almost childlike, authentic, unmediated. Learning to say no is not a simple gesture, but an act that demands all of one’s physical and mental energy. An inner movement made up of attempts, hesitations, and forces coming together. The canvas becomes the mental space where this “no” takes shape as a sign, even before it becomes a sentence or a line of reasoning. It is the first, authentic, arduous attempt to draw a boundary between oneself and the other. An exercise in visual self-defense: a “no” drawn in a single, swift stroke, which sets a limit and at the same time affirms an identity.

~

<Photo Eva Volpato>