This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
Italian artist Simone Fugazzotto's latest project, featuring paintings of monkeys, has been met with outrage and criticism from anti-discrimination groups and social media users.
The artwork, which was released on Monday, was intended to promote anti-racism and highlight the similarities between humans and apes.
However, the reaction to the artwork has been far from what Fugazzotto expected, with many accusing him of perpetuating stereotypes and dehumanizing people of African heritage.
According to an email sent to CNN, Fugazzotto expressed his shock at the negative reaction to his work, stating that he had always used monkeys as a symbol of human virtues, weaknesses, and madness.
“Over the years, I painted almost every virtue, weakness and madness of the human being through the form of the chimpanzee, which allows me to express the soul of the human being though the looks but ridiculing the habits, the tics and the unhealthy habits,” he said.
Anti-discrimination organization Fare condemned the artwork, stating that it would be counter-productive and continue the dehumanization of people of African heritage.
“These creations are an outrage, they will be counter-productive and continue the de-humanization of people of African heritage,” Fare said on its Twitter feed.
Earlier this month, an Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport was widely criticized for previewing a soccer game with the headline Black Friday, accompanied by photographs of former Manchester United teammates Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku.
