Zapatos Rojos|Red Shoes is an itinerant installation originally organized by artist and architect Elina Chauvet in 2009, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It was comprised of 33 pairs of red shoes, each representing a woman who had disappeared in that community, and designed to draw attention to the fact that women were being killed without any consequences.

Since then, Chauvet has continued to develop the installation into a call to bring awareness and to work in solidarity to fight violence against women all over the world. She has re-installed the exhibition in several countries around the world including: Italy, Norway, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, the United States and Mexico.

In the fall of 2017, GVSU Modern Languages Professor, Zulema Moret arranged for Chauvet to direct an installation of the Zapatos Rojos|Red Shoes in Grand Rapids. This exhibition documents many of the community groups that participated in painting the shoes, as well as the installation on October 21 at the Richard M. DeVos Center courtyard on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Resources

To learn more Zapatos Rojos | Red Shoes Project, installation, and Elina Chauvet, check out these resources:

• Find out more about the Modern Language and Literature Department at GVSU
• Read an interview with artist Elina Chauvet from weadartists
• Visit Chauvet's profile on Artillery Magazine
• Learn more about the Red Shoe Project installation in Grand Rapids from WKTV and GRMAG

Location:

March 6 – June 19, 2020
West Wall Gallery
301 Fulton St W
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Previous Exhibit Locations:
November 1, 2019 – February 28, 2020
Russel H. Kirkhof Center Gallery
1 Campus Dr
Allendale, Michigan 49401 

Gallery hours are reflective of exhibit building location, including changes made due to semester, holiday, or campus-wide event.