Event
Exhibition «Endometriosis. Laia Abril»
An exhibition will open at Museo del Romanticismo in which medical subject matter becomes a visual exploration of pain and bodily experience.
About this event
From 2 June to 13 September, as part of PHotoESPAÑA 2026, Laia Abril’s installation devoted to endometriosis will be presented. The project addresses this illness not only as a diagnosis, but also as a history of systemic misunderstanding of the female body.
Endometriosis was first described in the 19th century, but remains difficult to diagnose. The illness affects around 190 million women and people with a uterus worldwide and is accompanied by chronic pain, bleeding and other serious symptoms that often remain unexplained for a long time.
Abril links patients’ contemporary experience with medical ideas from the past, when female symptoms were often interpreted through the diagnosis of “hysteria”, and pain itself as something secondary or doubtful. This historical background becomes part of the artistic discourse.
At the centre of the installation are fragmented images of people with endometriosis. They convey not only the physical condition, but also the gap between the body and a system that is often unable to “listen” to it.