Instagram has removed an Italian artist’s illustration from the account of Cardi B, who allegedly appropriated the artwork without permission.
Cardi shared a picture of herself on Halloween dressed as Marge Simpson in a racy dress which was an apparent homage to an illustration by Italian artist aleXsandro Palombo, which was also included in Cardi B’s post. Her collaborators, photographer Jora Frantzis and stylist Kollin Carter, shared the shots as well.
But Cardi B didn’t credit Palombo in the post, and the artist has threatened to sue for copyright violation, hiring lawyer Claudio Volpi to go after her.
Palombo said in a statement,
Cardi B and her collaborators have used my artwork without any authorization, debasing its original meaning and only to amplify their image with a clear commercial purpose that has nothing to do with that path of social awareness that has always characterized my works.
It’s all a bit confusing there are so many references. Palombo’s is part of his series Marge Simpson Style Icon, 2013 illustrations that reimagine her in classic fashion moments like Bjork‘s swan dress, Madonna‘s Jean Paul Gaultier bustier, and Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s Givenchy dress.
Palombo wrote in an Instagram post that the idea was to [transform] Marge into a style icon’ calling it
a reflection on women’s emancipation and gender equality through the most iconic moments of the last 100 years in fashion costume.”
The Cardi B dispute shows Marge wearing a 1995 Thierry Mugler dress with an opening with a cutout in the lower back, revealing the top of her butt cheeks.
In an email, Volpi told Artnet News that he has not yet filed a copyright infringement complaint,
AleXsandro Palombo believes he has suffered considerable damage due to the conduct of Cardi B and her collaborators and still reserves the right to take legal action in order to be compensated… images still present in Cardi B’s Instagram account constitute an illegal elaboration of his work.”
There are very frequent cases in which copyright…is violated through social media.”
Instagram he said should be
held accountable for illegal content that is published through their platforms.”
Palombo has used Simpsons characters for his mash-ups on numerous occasions;
- he’s turned the show’s characters black
- cast them as Auschwitz prisoners
- shown them in erotic nude scenes
- shown Homer as George Floyd, with a police officer kneeling on his neck.
Another series created for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, featured 13 cartoon characters—Betty Boop, Olive Oyl, Superwoman, etc.—with mastectomy scars.
An International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women turned political figures like Michelle Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Angela Merkel into domestic abuse victims.
Palombo said,
I personally dedicate my life and my art to fighting abuse, violence, and injustice.
I have always fought for the respect of human rights and I am not afraid to take sides. By nature, I am a great observer and what I see, among other things, is that authentic creativity is disappearing.
I also see a large number of thefts of creativity by mediocre people.”
Palombo’s artwork has been removed from Cardi B’s original Instagram post, although the pictures of her costume remain and Frantzis and Carter’s posts have been removed entirely.
(via Artnet News)
