Unspoken Truths
An ode to all Maltese women suffering in silence
Film & Photography
2021
Dear Malta,
Why are we the last EU country with a complete ban on abortion? Why do women seeking abortions continue to suffer when such a choice is a human right? The topic on abortion is a largely unspoken topic, censored by the state, the church, and a threat of criminal prosecution. It is a social stigma that is silencing Maltese citizens. The overall stigma has silenced many into burying their thoughts and emotions, especially the more vunerable and less privileged who are in dire need of your support and understanding.
Moreover, us women are being forced to lie due to the complete blanket ban you have constituted on abortion (Chapter 9 Criminal Code of Malta). How can we begin to heal when we are forced into lying and when we are burdened with guilt and fear instilled by our country? Without official statistics there is no way of knowing how many women are experiencing this trauma, but I can show a fraction of the pain these desperate women are going through in isolation and silence.
Your silenced women
Why are we the last EU country with a complete ban on abortion? Why do women seeking abortions continue to suffer when such a choice is a human right? The topic on abortion is a largely unspoken topic, censored by the state, the church, and a threat of criminal prosecution. It is a social stigma that is silencing Maltese citizens. The overall stigma has silenced many into burying their thoughts and emotions, especially the more vunerable and less privileged who are in dire need of your support and understanding.
Moreover, us women are being forced to lie due to the complete blanket ban you have constituted on abortion (Chapter 9 Criminal Code of Malta). How can we begin to heal when we are forced into lying and when we are burdened with guilt and fear instilled by our country? Without official statistics there is no way of knowing how many women are experiencing this trauma, but I can show a fraction of the pain these desperate women are going through in isolation and silence.
Your silenced women
Individual Stories
Three Maltese women open up about their individual abortion stories, shedding light on the choice process and emotional thoughts they have gone through. Having to stay anonymous, three dancers were selected to represent their stories. Together we joined forces to carefully choreograph each individual story. The female dancers were able to chanel these emotions as they have gone through this process themselves and understand the weight of it.
A fight for Change
44 individuals have stood together in unity and raised their fists in a strong statement against the criminalisation of abortion, by holding hangers up high. The hangers serve as a symbol of suffering faced by women in Malta who have been forced to resort to unsafe methods to obtain an abortion, which is a safe and accessible procedure in most countries across the globe. There was a strong collective presence that day, everyone felt the same sentiments of both anger and sadness; however, they were unified by the need for change. It was an emotional sight seeing so many people gathering together sharing the same thoughts on such a stigmatised topic.
Since 1918
A5 booklet,
2019
A family affair featuring my centenarian Nanna (who passed away in 2019) and myself. I attempted to preserve her existence by surrounding myself with her personal belongings. A part of her lives within me through the genes passed on from one generation to another. The nature of these images also conveys a comparative between a young modern-day woman, and one born more than a century ago.
Fuck Me
Performace/Film
in Colaboration with Ben Maier
2021
Untitled
Silver Gelatin Prints,
58 x 70.9 cm,
2017
The need for cognitive closure is a psychological term which describes the level of a person’s tolerance towards a concreat answer. In order to test whether one possesses a high or low need for closure, 5 variables are taken into consideration: If one has a need for order, predictability, unambiguity, decisiveness and close-mindedness, then a high need for cognitive closure is registered. Introducing any one or more of these variables into an artwork may result in the viewer being unable to appreciate the image being presented. ‘Untitled’ is a series of 7 silver gelatin prints with an unfinished and ambiguous storyline. This artwork was directly intended to address one’s need for closure.
“Too fragile and too valuable to be touched any longer…. Forever stalled, stranded inbetween a state of completion and incompletion” (Baum, p. 215)
Our eyes sparkle fairy dust
Audio Visuals documentory,
In collaboration with Ben Maier & Viivi Saikkonen,
2020
Dear diary,
yesterday night was marvellous. The night stood still for a moment and let us simply be. We let out every bit of adult frustration until there was nothing left. That was freedom! I now long for this freedom. Why can't I let my inner child out again and let time stop to fool around.
A letter to my inner child
