Abortion is Normal NWK
September 10 - October 16, 2019

Artists: Christen Clifford, Dominique Duroseau, Yvette Molina, Viva Ruiz + Thank God For Abortion, as well as cultural partner, Shout Your Abortion

Abortion is Normal NWK was an exhibition organized by a collective of cultural practitioners as an urgent call-to-action exhibition to raise both awareness and funding in support of accessible, safe, and legal abortion. Abortion is Normal NWK included the work of artists Christen Clifford, Dominique Duroseau, Yvette Molina, Viva Ruiz + Thank God For Abortion, as well as cultural partner, Shout Your Abortion. 

Abortion is Normal NWK came at a time when legal abortion was, and is still, under acute attack throughout the United States. Simultaneously, the 1973 landmark ruling, Roe vs. Wade, which federally sanctions the right to choose, was in jeopardy of being reversed. The exhibition brought together a heterogeneous array of artists countering with their personal response to abortion and abortion access in order to create an inclusive and empathetic entry point to this conversation. Not all of these artists had necessarily personally had an abortion; however, the underlying thread of this exhibition was that abortion and reproductive health affect everyone. 

Abortion is Normal was about access, open conversations, acknowledgment of intersectionality, inclusivity, and visibility within the context of a conversation on reproductive rights. It strove to be multi-centered in its approach; acknowledged both the nuance of who is affected by legal abortion as well as who is affected by the potentiality of relinquishing safe and legal access to care. 

Abortion is Normal NWK was part one of a multi-part series of exhibitions. The intention of this series was not only to spread the message that exercising choice and embracing body autonomy is a right; but also created a space for camaraderie through participation. Many components of Abortion is Normal NWK were interactive, and invited visitors to have ownership and autonomy in the conversation. The Abortion is Normal mailer-poster was one such participatory component- the public was invited to engage with this poster- to activate it and share it on the streets, on social media, and in every space that they felt appropriate to share the message that safe, legal, and accessible reproductive healthcare is normal. 

The visual collateral for ABORTION IS NORMAL (2019/2020), was a reminder of the breadth and scope of the individuals who have the right to body and reproductive autonomy. It was our mandate, and still is, that the right to Safe, Legal, and Accessible abortion and reproductive healthcare is for everyone, and affects everyone- regardless of race, economics, or gender identity. We also acknowledged, in this identity framework, that not all Safe, and Legal, reproductive healthcare was, and still is, accessible for everyone: we understood that intersectional oppression plays a key role in how this fight for autonomy was framed- and finally, we hoped that by acknowledging this, through this visual language, that we could make steps towards change.

This work was partially inspired by the work of artists who traverse the artscape between representation and conceptualism- like Kameelah Janan Rasheed (Flexin’ My Complexion, 2014), and Byron Kim (Synecdoche, 1993) who acknowledged and asserted the reality of a diverse America.

The identity for ABORTION IS NORMAL was created by Chantal Fischzang and Rebecca Pauline Jampol.