Eterno Femminino (The Eternal Feminine) aims to inhabit the boundary between archetype and stereotype, questioning the distance — as well as the underlying continuities — between these two forms of representation. A boundary charged with power, control, and storytelling. The goal is to open spaces for thought and creation, where language in all its artistic forms can restore to the Feminine the complexity and plurality of its meanings, moving between memory and contemporaneity.
Starting from the study of Paleolithic and Neolithic art, and in particular from the female image and the so-called Venus figurines, one of the most widespread conceptual expressions of the Pleistocene, the project aims to stimulate a metahistorical reflection on the meaning of the Feminine. Eternal, suspended between archetypes and stereotypes, the image of woman has undergone significant transformations throughout the centuries. The creation of casts from original pieces belonging to the Museum and Institute of Prehistory in Florence, followed by the reproduction of selected Venus figurines both in their original scale and in enlarged formats, will offer an opportunity to reinterpret the symbolism and deeper meanings embodied by the female figure (the Archetype). At the same time, the project seeks to encourage a reflection on the representations and narratives associated with the feminine, inviting artists, students, and the public to engage with stereotypes, reinterpret them, deconstruct them, or simply observe them from new perspectives. Eterno Femminino is a social responsibility project promoted by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, curated by Francesca Brambilla, Filippo Invernizzi and Fabio Martini.
ETERNO FEMMININO
PoliMi - Polo Territoriale Lecco
Lecco, Via Gaetano Previati, 1/c
12-20 September 2026
10 AM – 7 PM
free entrance