Patricia Cronin

Shrine For Girls is a series of site-specific sculpturalinstallations created by artist Patricia Cronin (Beverly,Massachussetts, 1963), reflecting on the global plight ofexploited women and girls.The installation is located at the Chiesa di San Gallo, ahistoric-site destination near the heart of Venetian cultureand society, Piazza San Marco.Although the United Nations passed the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights in 1948, women and girlsaround the world continue to be among the most vulnerablemembers of our global society. Often facing violence, repression,and enforced ignorance, this young female populace issubjected to a horrifying existence on earth.Inside the Church of San Gallo, Patricia Cronin has createda shrine in their honor.In this exhibition, dramatically illuminated mounds of theirclothing are elevated to the status of art to bring awarenessto this urgent crisis, while providing a space to reflect and,hopefully, inspire viewers into action. One framed photographof each of these three tragic events will accompanythis installation, which hopes to propose a new and reflectivedialogue between gender, memory and justice.