Since debut September, you can admire a beautiful work of art on the garage door of Amazone. Brussels collective ‘Ton Piquant’ came by to put a few more women on the streets in our neighborhood. This fresco is part of our ‘Walls to remember”’ project initiated following the ‘À nous la rue!’ call for projects issued by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. The garage door is now hard to miss, because the explosion of image and color can be spotted from far away! The intrinsic work contains dozens of gender equality symbols and icons with a picture of the amazons in the middle. After all, what else?
Ama-what?!
Employees of Amazone are often asked what our non-profit organization is named after. For that explanation, we have to go back in time. In ancient Greece, people often spoke of a group of mythical warriors, consisting entirely of women. These women were better known as ‘The Amazons’, and are mentioned in various antique writings. This is remarkable, because Greek society was full of patriarchal and sexist ideas. Women were not seen as full participants in society, and certainly not as fighters in combat.
However, important works from Diodorus, Homer and Pausanias among others describe the impressive achievements of the Amazons. The women are said to have built several temples, including the first in Delphi and the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, they came to the aid of the Trojans during the Trojan War nd founded several cities. The women were reported by Diodorus to run a ruthless society, in which the right breast of young girls was burned so that their bodies could not develop further. Moon-shaped shields, special (rather traditionally male) clothing and the use of horses during battles became typical symbols of the Amazons. The stories would have mainly sowed fear in Classical Greece, as they do appeal to the imagination.
Amazons in modern times
In Western modern and popular culture, the Amazons have become synonymous with female warriors. They have become symbols of the struggle for gender equality, telling the story of women who resisted the sexist and discriminatory expectations of society.
Ton Piquant used this symbolism in their mural, and chose a central image of several Amazons on their typical horse. On the left you can spot a fairly traditional image of an Amazon, with her typical costume and fighting spirit. To her right you can find six other Amazons, each with their own typical characteristics. No woman is the same, but they all want to go in the same direction: they want to move forward.
And so the name Amazone came to be. Everyone is welcome in our non-profit, regardless of age, gender, color, sexual preference or religion. As long as we all look in the same direction. As long as we all fight for the same goal: more gender equality in society.
Small symbols, big stories
Around the central image you can find different small symbols, each telling their own story about gender equality. For example, you can spot a globe, but also the feminist fist, books, hands, musical notes and a bat. Take a moment to think about the different images, what do they mean to you?
Thanks
Amazone thanks the Institute for Equality of Women and Men for their financial support and Ton Piquant for the creativity and enthusiasm. Without them this project would not have been possible. Thank you!
Want to come and see the artwork yourself? You can! Our garage door is located at Uniestraat number 3, 1210 in Sint-Joost-ten-Node (Brussels).
Sara-Lynn Milis
Projects & Resource centre
