Don't miss the 16 day display of the Red Shoes Public Art Installation. A community engagement project recognising lives affected by domestic and family violence.
Los Zapatos Rojos* (The Red Shoes) is a collaborative art installation designed by Mexican artist Elina Chauvet and brought to our region by Bundaberg Regional Galleries, launched locally with shoe painting sessions in May 2024.
The Red Shoes project commenced in 2009 after the death of Elina’s sister through domestic violence. The 33 pairs of shoes that comprised the original project were chosen by the artist because they represented women, and more specifically, her sister, who wore the same size shoe. The artist explains the red paint symbolises the ‘blood that unites us’ as well as love and hope.
For more than a decade, Chauvet has staged her ‘Los Zapatos Rojos’ installation in countries around the world, including Argentina, Italy, Spain, Norway, Great Britain, Sweden, Chile, Ecuador, United States, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Africa, France and Australia. Bundaberg will be the third Australia location to host a Red Shoes installation since it's inception.
With one woman currently losing their life to gender-based violence in Australia every week, the Red Shoes installation with its hundreds of pairs of painted shoes laid out in a public space, provides a visual representation of the lives lost and a reminder of the continued need for reform around this critical issue.
The goal was to create 300 pairs of red shoes that would become a public art installation on display as part of the 16 Days of Activism, an annual international campaign to raise awareness of family and domestic violence.
Each pair of shoes will represent a conversation that honours people that live with, have experienced, or have lost their lives through Domestic and Family Violence. Closed painting Sessions presented a safe space for honest conversations about how we can educate community and each other regarding healthy relationships and where to find support for those affected by domestic and family violence.
‘Red Shoes’ is a Public Art installation, A call for conscience to join before a violent situation directed towards women around the world, a concern for the deaths of women, girls, and young women who are still disappearing and being murdered before the indifferent eyes of the authorities. This piece has its roots in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico on the 20th of August of 2009 a march of 33 missing women, who in their path have been joined by more and more solidarity steps that make their absence visible, and the pain it causes within our societies. ‘Zapatos Rojos is a collective memory, an evocation, an emptiness, a silent march, a yearning for the safe return of our Loved Ones. - Elina Chauvet
The Bundaberg project will be officially opened by Dr Paola Magni ambassador for Red Shoes Australia on Saturday 30 November. Dr Magni became involved in the project after she saw the public art installation Los Zapatos Rojos of red shoes in her Italian hometown of Turin. Bundaberg Regional Gallery is now collaborating with Dr Magni and the installation’s Mexican artist, Elina Chauvet, to bring the power of the Los Zapatos Rojos message to Australia.
The installation is free, and bookings are not necessary.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence and needs support, please contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services on 000. DV support | Find a local support service.
*Zapatos Rojos Instalación de Arte Público de Elina Chauvet, Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua (2009).
We acknowledge the support of Lifeline retail who generously donated shoes and the time that community has dedicated to being a part of this project.
Contact Name: Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery
Contact Number: (07) 4130 4750
Email: brgadmin@bundaberg.qld.gov.au
