What first caught my attention was the strange shape of these shoes. They look like shoes, yet clearly go beyond what a shoe should be. Their forms are distorted, extended, almost unidentifiable. By losing their original function, they seem to open up space for reflection—why are we always so eager to define things, to categorize, to assign gender?

It reminded me of an article I once read about the color pink. Before the 18th century, pink was not considered a “feminine” color—it symbolized strength and nobility and was commonly worn by men. Later, as society began to attach softness and delicacy to femininity, pink was gradually reclassified, much like the high-heeled shoe, which shifted from male military gear to a symbol of femininity.

Luca Bosani’s work challenges this long history of gendered symbols. By exaggerating and transforming the shape of the heel, he separates it from gender itself, turning it into an open form—something that seems to be searching for new meaning, a bodily extension in flux.

I love that he calls them Unidentified Performing Objects. They are both strange and familiar, reminding us that gender is not a fixed shape, but something in motion, something performed. Perhaps reimagining objects is also a way of reimagining ourselves.

What does masculine mean?

Who are heeled shoes for?

When does a shoe become a sculpture?

I am to challenge gender stereotypes with artworks and performances that ask these questions.

-LUCA BOSANI