Photographer and visual artist is a woman with a passion – to raise awareness of the challenges and difficulties faced by women both now and in the past. Through visuals, text and audio, Abril recounts stories of women’s experiences that remain taboo.
Her past work has covered topics such as ‘thinspiration’, focusing on eating disorders in young women, and menstruation.
Her latest work, ‘On Abortion’ is the first part of her ongoing project, A History of Misogyny. In it she highlights the plight of women from countries where abortion is both illegal and dangerous.
Abril draws attention to the fact that, despite safe and effective means of abortion existing, because of botched abortions.
Initially exhibited at Les Rencontres in Arles (France) in 2016, and now available in print, her work questions why abortion is still considered illegal in some countries and also asks why, in instances of rape, women and young girls are forced to carry pregnancies to term.
Abril’s research and work stemmed from the approval of a by the Spanish government in 2013. The law aimed at limiting abortion to only cases of rape or serious health risks for the mother.
Although the draft law , Abril’s interest was piqued and so she chose to research the topic in depth and portray her findings to others through her art.
Despite being such a taboo and polarising issue, Abril is quick to clarify that On Abortion is not an activist project.
In an , Abril says, “I do not wish to tell viewers what they should think, I do not want slogans or proclamations: I present facts – in an artistic fashion maybe, but still facts. Those who visited the exhibition are free to decide what to do with what they saw and read. This is to me the only way to transform things: without imposing anything.”
While many of her photographs depict confronting and very dangerous methods of self-abortion, such as coat hangers, scolding baths and poisons, Abril was conscious not to include images that would too draw too much attention.
“Some people would have felt frightened and would have completely turned away from what I was presenting, shutting down in themselves,” she told Vogue. “I decided therefore to opt for a more conceptual approach in doing the editing.”
A wire coat hanger photograph from Laia Abril's A History of Misogyny. Source: Laia Abril
“I wanted to put every person visiting the exhibition in the best conditions to comprehend and digest all the information provided. If only one person changed their perspective as a result of seeing the exhibition, I will consider it a huge success.”
Abril is not the first to use an artistic medium to convey the experience of women without access to abortion services. Emma Fraser & Grace Dyas from Ireland are doing a similar thing with their project, aptly named, .
I do not wish to tell viewers what they should think, I do not want slogans or proclamations: I present facts – in an artistic fashion maybe, but still facts.
The project is a collection of anonymous testimonies from women online who have travelled from the Republic of Ireland, where abortion is illegal, to access safe abortion services overseas.
Using these testimonials, Fraser and Dyas created a durational artwork at Dublin’s NCAD Gallery in September, featuring video, sound installation and live performance.
“The piece is grounded and the artistic intention is to attempt to collect, represent and make visible every story, every experience of those 163,514 women,” reads their website.
“To highlight the consequences of Ireland's abortion laws and to connect women who have travelled in solidarity.”
Images: ©Laia Abril from ‘On Abortion’ -
