Laia Abril (born 1986) is a Catalan artist whose work relates to bio-politics, grief and women’s rights. Her books include The Epilogue (2014), which documents the indirect victims of eating disorders; and a long-term project A History of Misogyny which includes On Abortion (2018), about the repercussions of abortion controls in many cultures; and On Rape (2022) about gender-based stereotypes and myths, as well as the failing structures of law and order, that perpetuate rape culture.
Abril was born in 1986 in Barcelona, Spain. She gained a degree in journalism in Barcelona. She moved to New York City to study photography at the International Center of Photography. In 2009 she enrolled at Fabrica research centre, the artist residency of Benetton in Italy, where she worked as a staff photographer and consultant photo editor at Colors magazine for five years.
Since 2010, Abril worked on various projects exploring the subject of eating disorders:[1]A Bad Day, a short film about a young girl struggling with bulimia; Thinspiration (2012), which explores the use of photography in pro-ana websites; and The Epilogue (2014), documenting the indirect victims of eating disorders, through the story of the Robinson family and the aftermath of the death of Cammy Robinson to bulimia.[2][3][4] Critic Sean O'Hagan, wrote in The Guardian, that The Epilogue "... is a sombre and affecting photobook ... dense and rewarding ... At times, it makes for a painful read. From time to time, I had to put it down, take a breather. But I kept going back."[5]
Her long-term project A History of Misogyny includes Chapter One: On Abortion, about the repercussions of abortion controls in many different cultures;[6] and Chapter Two: On Rape: and Institutional Failure,[7] "a visualisation of the origin of gender-based stereotypes and myths, as well as the failing structures of law and order, that continue to perpetuate rape culture."[8]
Publications
Books by Abril
Thinspiration. Self-published zine, 2012. Designed in collaboration with art director Ramon Pez and Guillermo Brotons.
Fotografia 2.0, PHotoEspaña, Madrid, June 2014. Curated by Joan Fontcuberta. With Diego Collado, Pablo Chacón, Manuel Fernández, Miguel Ángel García, Alejandro Guijarro, Albert Gusi, Juana Ghost, Roc Herms, Darius Koehli, Reinaldo Loureiro, Daniel Mayrit, Oscar Monzón, Noelia Pérez, Jordi Pou, Arturo Rodríguez, Txema Salvans, Miguel Ángel Tornero, Jon Uriarte and Fosi Vegue.[23]
On Identity, Gallery Sous Les Etoiles, New York, September–October 2014. With Jen Davis, Olya Ivanova, Lindsay Morris and Chris Rijksen.[24]
A History of Misogyny, Chapter One: On Abortion,Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, 2016.[25]