‘Headless women in public art’: Migrant artivism and do-it-yourself practices in the city of Porto

Abstract

This article focuses on the do-it-yourself artistic creation of migrant women in the city of Porto, Portugal, and emerging modalities of artivism. It is focused on the project ‘Headless Women in Public Art’, by the artist Mariana Morais; an art and design project – sustained by a do-it-yourself praxis and ethos – that aims to examine public art in the city of Porto through a feminist and (i) migrant lens, to identify/deconstruct aesthetic narratives created around women in public art. By adopting a case study methodology based on the use of a qualitative and visual methodology, we present a sociological discussion around the project ‘Headless Women in Public Art’, as well as a content analysis regarding a semi-structured interview made to the artist. The goal is to enhance social, cultural, artistic and symbolic re-significations around public art and female bodies in public art in Porto, while using do-it-yourself.