Faculty of Design

Illustration

Caroline Icardo

The Gilded Warrior

Illustration
2021
Digital
"The Gilded Warrior” portrays the legendary Ba Trieu, a 3rd century Vietnamese 19 year old who escaped into the mountain forests of the Thanh Hóa Province to sharpen her combat skills against the Chinese occupiers. She raised an army of 1000 people to rebel and eventually chose to commit suicide over being taken prisoner. This image is based on her below quotation: I want to rail against the wind and the tide, Kill the whales in the sea, Sweep the whole country, To save the people from slavery, And I refuse to be enslaved. Alternatively: I'd like to ride storm, Kill the sharks in the open sea, Drive out the aggressors, Re-conquer the country, Undo the ties of serfdom, And never bend my back to be the concubine of whatever man (Gilbert, Marc Jason, When Heroism is Not Enough: Three Women Warriors of Vietnam, Their Historians and World History. World History Connected 4.3 (2007): 34 pars.

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Ching Shih
Ching Shih

Work by

Caroline Icardo

“"Bad Grrls" is a series of infamous historical women portrayed through a contemporary fashion lens to tell their stories and reclaim their power.”