CITY HALL, 9TH DISTRICT, PARIS
Soul's Skin
Having witnessed the devastating, global impact of gender-based violence, Anilore sought to confront its effect on society; namely, the horror of this pervasive reality that too many of us endure.
Anilore chose buffalo and cow hides to powerfully symbolize women's vulnerability, drawing a haunting parallel between hunting culture and the predatory violence women face in society. Mounted like exotic trophies, each skin echoes the narrative of the hunt.
To represent such a complex and harrowing subject, Soul’s Skin (Peaux D'âmes) symbolically addresses the many facets of the violence epidemic. Each piece comprises an outline of the female figure drawn onto the skin as a map of these women's lives: what they faced, and the repression piercing their reality. Doll's hair and clothes can be found around the figures as references to the ‘male gaze’ – a familiar form of objectification as old as time itself. The interior of each figure is left blank: these women have faced enough and their bodies will be sexualized no more.
Tears in our eyes, ink on paper
Towering above human scale, the monumental work forces viewers to peer upward – a deliberate act that commands reverence for women's strength and dignity. A small mirror is placed in each piece so visitors must stare at themselves while engaging with the art.
Notably, the actual crayons used to draw each figure were a gift to Anilore from renowned American artist John Chamberlain. The words "weight of the women" are scrawled throughout. At its core, this work speaks to something far deeper than aesthetics and demands that we confront a woman’s fundamental experience in the world: a systematic denial of her humanity.
Artwork in progress at Paris studio
Each distinct piece portrays differing individual struggles. A black skin represents forced marriage. A wedding bouquet and a little mattress symbolize the demand of female virginity and purity. A red skin draws attention to the struggle of women’s role in society. Another, showcasing a swan drawn around the figure to symbolize the purity of a child, honors young girls who were taken in Afghanistan amidst general helplessness. Yet other black and brown pieces pay tribute to men who have been abused in conflict.
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