patricia cronin remembers the repressed with shrine for girls

patricia cronin remembers the repressed with shrine for girls at the venice art biennale
all photos by mark blower / courtesy of patricia cronin

within venice’s historic sixteenth-century chiesa di san gallo, patricia cronin has created a shrine that pays homage to the abundance of women and girls around the world who face violence, repression, and enforced ignorance. despite the united nations passing the universal declaration of human rights in 1948, these young women continue to be among the most vulnerable members of our society, and are subjected to a horrifying existence on earth.

for ‘shrine for girls’ presented for the venice art biennale 2015, the new york-based conceptual artist has arranged hundreds of girls’ clothes on three stone altars, reflecting on the incalculable loss of young martyrs.

three altars display stacks of clothing representing girls around the world who face repression

at the heart of the church, the central altar displays brightly colored saris worn by girls in india, three of who were recently gang raped, murdered and left to hang from trees; on the left, an altar exhibits hijabs symbolizing the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by boko haram in nigeria; the third altar presents a heap of aprons and uniforms representing those worn by girls at the magdalene asylums and laundries — forced labor institutions for young women in ireland, the united kingdom and america.

patricia cronin remembers the repressed with ‘shrine for girls’