The Museum of the Goldfields will host the Red Shoes Australia installation as part of WA’s annual 16 Days in WA campaign to end family and domestic violence.

With one woman losing their life to gender-based violence in Australia every week, the aim of the Red Shoes installation is to provide a visual representation of the lives lost and a reminder of the continued need for reform around this critical issue.

Red Shoes Australia is led by Dr Paola Magni, a finalist for WA 2024 Australian of the Year, after she saw the public art installation Los Zapatos Rojos made entirely of red shoes in her Italian hometown of Turin. Los Zapatos Rojos was created in 2009 in memory of thousands of young women who had been tortured and killed in Mexico during the 1990s and 2000s. Paola is now collaborating with the installation’s Mexican artist, Elina Chauvet, to bring the power of the Los Zapatos Rojos message to Australia.

On the Red Shoes Australia launch, Paola said: “It’s a tremendous honor for me to launch the Red Shoes Project for the second year in Western Australia. Over my years of investigating gender-based violence cases, I’ve come to realize that improving communication is key to reducing these incidents.

“Public art serves as a powerful form of communication that can reach everyone, raise consciousness, and spark conversations leading to collaborative projects for better support for victims, their families, and research aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the justice system.

“In its simplicity, painting a shoe in red and placing it in a public space not only evokes memories of victims, but also fosters healing within the community.”

The installation is free and bookings are not necessary.

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