Alessia Pugliese - Betrayl

This work is not a simple portrait, but a powerful and bitter reflection on the history of Native Americans and their systematic dispossession. Through a visual language that mimics Pop Art, the artist hides a radical critique of the United States' cultural and economic imperialism.
Symbolism and denunciatory 'Easter Eggs':
The Blood in Consumerism: The most shocking detail is the Coca-Cola bottle: what seems like an everyday gesture actually reveals the blood shed by Indigenous peoples, which gushes from the symbol par excellence of the American lifestyle. Consumerism is presented as a parasite that has fed on the sacrifice of an entire people.
The Fake Banknote: The presence of a 100-dollar bill with a clown in place of the President is a direct satire of financial and political power. It suggests that the system that drove Native peoples from their lands is based on a farce, on a fictitious and ruthless value.
Cultural Erosion (Tetris and Batman): Pop elements like the Tetris blocks in the headdress and the Batman logo are not decorative, but represent the 'occupation' of the mind and culture. Ancient traditions are fragmented and overwritten by mass entertainment.
Gaze and Resistance: Despite the visual 'colonization' surrounding her (exotic flowers, cartoons like the raccoon, and pop icons), the young indigenous woman maintains a proud and melancholic gaze, a witness to a stolen land and a dignity that cannot be bought.

Artist Biography: Alessia Pugliese
Alessia Pugliese (Naples, born 1986) is a Neapolitan artist whose expressive research blends solid artisanal tradition with the instinct of contemporary art.
Trained at the historic Caselli Institute - Real Fabbrica di Capodimonte, Alessia inherits the respect for material and the meticulous detail typical of excellence in craftsmanship. After a significant career as a portraitist, where she refined her ability to capture the subject's soul, since 2019 she has embarked on a new creative phase devoted to textured, experimental painting.
His works stand out for the bold use of plaster and the spatula, creating three-dimensional surfaces that invite touch. His style is a constant dialogue between the energy of color and the concreteness of form, transforming every canvas into a unique sensory experience.
Art for me is a vital necessity, a way to give form to emotions through every possible material.