Italian artist tears paintings of Virgin Mary to reveal images of Palestinian mothers in Gaza

Italian artist Eduardo Castaldo has unveiled a new installation in Naples in which he tears away a painting depicting the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus to reveal a photograph of a Palestinian mother and child in Gaza.

The striking work is part of his Holy Mothers of Gaza series, an art project that uses Christian religious imagery to draw attention to the suffering of Palestinian women and children.

Castaldo unveiled the latest artwork on Wednesday at the Pappacoda Chapel, part of the Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore in Naples, before an audience that included students, teachers and residents.

The photograph revealed beneath a painting of the Virgin Mary was taken by Palestinian photojournalist Omar El Qattaa, whose work has documented the human toll of the war.

Show caption: Castaldo's latest work features a photo by Palestinian photo…

Rather than removing the religious image entirely, Castaldo tears away part of the artwork, melding the images of the two mothers and their children.

The juxtaposition draws parallels between the Christian depiction of maternal love and the experiences of Palestinian mothers struggling to protect their children.

The unveiling was followed by a presentation at the nearby Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore featuring Italian art historian Tomaso Montanari.

The event formed part of Vedi Napoli Sacra e Misteriosa e Poi Torni, a cultural programme organised by the City of Naples in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Naples, bringing together art, spirituality and discussions about peace.

Giving Gaza's photographers a voice

The latest work is part of a wider project spread across Naples, where Castaldo has been melding photographs taken by Palestinian photojournalists with paintings depicting the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.

Many of the pieces are displayed in or around the city's traditional religious shrines, known as edicole votive, which have long been a feature of Naples' streets and neighbourhoods.

One particularly striking work superimposes a painting of the Virgin Mary with a photograph of a Palestinian mother cradling the body of her baby, wrapped in a white shroud.

Among the photographers whose works have been featured in the project are Belal Khaled, Ali Jadallah, Ahmad Hasaballah and El Qattaa.

The installations can be found across Naples' historic centre, with their locations plotted on an online map that allows visitors to follow the artworks through the city.

From photojournalism to art activism

For Castaldo, the project also draws on his own experience of documenting conflict in the Middle East.

Born in Naples in 1977, he began working as a photojournalist in 2006, initially covering organised crime and social issues in southern Italy.

Castaldo later spent almost eight years based between Jerusalem and Cairo, covering political unrest and conflict across the Middle East for international publications.

His reporting in Egypt earned him a World Press Photo award in 2012.

But in 2014, Castaldo decided to leave photojournalism behind.

"For years, I completely discarded my portfolio from my works in the Middle East. I didn’t want to use those pictures. I didn’t feel like I had any right to use them”, he told street art publication UP Magazine in April.

“I always had concerns about my position. I felt like a western guy who took pictures of people from the Middle East that were sold to western newspapers, participating in a narrative that I didn’t agree with at all. I always thought that I was selling people in their most vulnerable moments and experiences to others."

He eventually began reworking his documentary images into street art, using public spaces to communicate stories that he felt needed to be seen beyond newspapers and magazines.

His work has since drawn attention to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, the suffering of civilians in Gaza and the displacement of Palestinians, alongside broader issues of migration, political oppression and human rights.

The act of tearing religious imagery in Holy Mothers of Gaza is a means of provoking reflection rather than of destroying something sacred, he said.

"The tear of the icon becomes an act of necessary sorrow; it is the wound that heals, unites and moves us to compassion," he said.