Violence against women, the new artwork by Laika with Giulia Cecchettin and Gisele Pelicot

On November 23, 2024, just a few days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a new artwork by street artist Laika appeared in Milan, at the corner of Viale Tunisia and Via Lecco. The piece titled ‘Smash the Patriarchy’ features Giulia Cecchettin, a victim of femicide at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, and Gisele Pelicot, who survived a rape committed by her husband and 83 other men. Both women are depicted with a raised fist, a universal symbol of resistance and struggle. Above them reads: ‘Smash the Patriarchy – Destroy the Patriarchy’, a battle cry against this systemic plague.

“I put up this poster with pain and anger, but also with a deep desire to fight for change,” said Laika. “We are in 2024 and this massacre, a product of a deeply rooted systemic patriarchy, seems to have no end. Despite decades of struggles, this system is strengthened, supported even by a government that goes as far as denying its existence.”

Laika makes an appeal: “It’s time to act. Radical change is urgent.” Among the first necessary actions, the artist emphasizes the importance of “introducing sex and relationship education in schools, a fundamental step to educate a new, more aware generation, with the hope of transforming the future, even as we fight against the injustices of a dramatic present.”

“Today I remember Giulia and all the Giulias who are no longer with us,” continued Laika, “but I also celebrate the courage of Gisele, who decided to open the doors to the trial against her ex-husband and 51 of the 83 men who raped her, to give courage to all women victims of violence like her to report, because ‘shame must change sides’. The clenched fist is a symbol of struggle: today I ask everyone, especially men, to take to the streets. The patriarchy is a dark wave but we are the tide.”