Untitled, 2022

The term abjection is defined by Julia Kristeva as our reaction to the imminent loss of meaning, initiated by loss of distinction between the subject and object, or between the self and other. Items considered out of their typical context can instigate this loss of definition. The decontextualization of used menstrual products provides both emotional and aesthetic distance once displayed within a clinical context. Referencing a lack of representation and misrepresentation of females within art. Untitled, 2022 incorporates the abject and grotesque whilst simultaneously unravelling the nuanced conceptions of ‘woman’ and ‘self’. The artist invites us to contemplate not only their body, but also our own. We are forced to face menstruation outside the polished, sanitised, visual narratives of the menstrual product industry. The work provokes us to face what is ‘within’, thus we are confronted with a breakdown of meaning.