Published by NFC Edizioni, Madonne by Carlo Valentine cannot be separated from the background and immense work he has carried out over the past two decades. After attending Catholic schools and developing a fascination with theology, Valentine moved to Bologna in the early 2000s, earning the distinction of being the first in Italy to bring BDSM subculture into the spotlight by creating Decadence, one of the most important bondage events in Europe. Born with the aim of preserving goth and dark culture, the backbone of alternative communities slowly but inevitably disappearing, the festival has always integrated into its program a range of performances, from musical acts and DJ sets to playrooms and shibari performances, always seeking to connect individuals with similar souls.
In an alternative landscape that saw the rise of events dedicated to extremely specific subcultures, so alienating even to their own participants, Valentine understood the importance of creating a support system, an alliance among these cultural minorities who struggled to be understood. In other words, Decadence can be seen as a successful attempt to hybridize the underground to ensure its survival. In this sense, the festival offered a safe space where people could express themselves freely, meet new faces, network, and ultimately propagate a culture so demonized that the Italian state itself classifies it by law, alongside transsexuality, as a paraphilia.
In a historical moment in which censorship always lurks around the corner and the risk of being silenced is ever-present for individuals already marginalized and ostracized by mainstream culture, giving space to what is considered deviant becomes an explicitly political act, a deliberate claim to a freedom increasingly at risk of being taken away.