Laia Abril . On Rape – And Institutional Failure

In the organizer's words:

In an assemblage of her own and found photographs, reports, quotes, videos and artifacts, the Catalan artist Laia Abril (*1986) dedicates her comprehensive research work to the topic of structurally enabled rape. Spanning different time horizons, cultural practices and media, she traces the normalization of misogynistic ways of thinking and acting in society and politics without resorting to explicit depictions of sexual violence. Instead, the focus is on traditional ideas, laws and institutionalized failures that maintain power dynamics and dependency relationships and thus enable rape. It is the second chapter of her long-term project A History of Misogyny, in which Abril responds to the various forms of systemic violence against women. She counters the speechlessness often felt with this topic with a moving and political narrative and immediately appeals to the responsibility of society as a whole. C/O Berlin presents the artist's first institutional solo exhibition in Germany.

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Catalan artist Laia Abril (b. 1986) dedicates her extensive research work to the topic of institutionally enabled rape using assemblages of found and original photographs, reports, quotations, videos, and artifacts. Working across time horizons, cultural practices, and media, she traces the normalization of misogynous ways of thinking and acting in society and politics without resorting to explicit depictions of sexual violence. Instead, the focus lies on the traditional ideas, laws, and institutionalized failures that maintain power dynamics and relationships of dependency that enable rape. The artist counters the speechlessness often felt around this topic with a moving and political narrative while simultaneously appealing to the responsibility of society as a whole. This is the second chapter of her long-term project, A History of Misogyny, in which Abril reacts to the various forms of systemic violence against women. C/O Berlin presents the artist's first institutional solo exhibition in Germany.