In the softness of the belly…
Every year, 73 million women worldwide undergo an abortion. In 2023, I was one of them. During the experience of facing my own abortion, the women around me began sharing their stories. These women were family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers—women across several generations and nationalities. I learned that I wasn’t alone in my feelings of loneliness and shame; rather, they are tied to a long lineage of women who have claimed the right to autonomy over their own bodies—and their own lives.
In this project, I delve into the interwoven care networks between women by meeting and having conversations with over twenty women who have undergone an abortion, including my mother and both my grandmothers. Their respective stories and perspectives have acted as a guide for a photographic diary, associating different aspects of their experiences with my own personal experience. Through this intimate and highly personal photographic approach, primarily anchored in the mundane, I use analog snapshots and portraits to form a visual representation of what abortion can feel and look like.
Find out more:
Website: andreabonderup.com
Instagram: @andrea_ullala
