Laia Abril
Laia Abril (born 1986) is a Catalan artist whose work relates to bio-politics, grief and women rights. Abril's books include "The Epilogue" (2014), which documents the indirect victims of eating disorders, and "A History of Misogyny: Chapter One: On Abortion" (2018), about the repercussions of abortion controls in many different cultures. "On Abortion" won Photobook of the Year award at the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. In 2018 she was awarded the Tim Hetherington Trust's Visionary Award to work on "A History Of Misogyny, Chapter 2: On Rape Culture." For the long-term project  A History Of Misogyny, in 2019 she was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Hood Medal and in 2020 she was awarded the Paul Huf Award from Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. Life and work. 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 has  been working on various projects exploring the subject of eating disorders: "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. 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." Her extended study of misogyny thus far includes "A History of Misogyny: Chapter One: On Abortion," about the repercussions of abortion controls in many different cultures. "A History Of Misogyny, Chapter 2: On Rape", was first exhibited in January 2020 and the book is due to be publish in 2022. Collections. Abril's work is held in the following public collection: