Exhibition Review: Donna Ferrato: HOLY
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
Written by Margarita Matta
Copy Edited by Erin Pedigo
Photo Edited by Yzabella Zari and Yanting Chen
The United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, ending constitutional right to abortion. Donna Ferrato is an artist, an activist, and a well-known documentarian. Her HOLY exhibition is a timely window into the world of women; HOLY displays some of Ferrato’s work chronicling domestic violence over the past fifty years. Her haunting photographs display the harsh reality of women facing domestic violence, an often- underrepresented issue, and give an honest, vulnerable approach to the issue. Over many years, Ferrato has worked as a photojournalist and an activist and gained unique, close access to issues impacting women.
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
Ferrato’s HOLY exhibition lets viewers see what it means to be a woman. At the center is Holy (2019), a collage piece featuring a photograph of Ferrato surrounded by cut-out words such as “blessed virgin,” “whore,” and “bitch,” just to name a few. These words create an overwhelming visual, a gut-punch of the labels given to women by society, and infer a crossroads Ferrato is highlighting between religion and control that is present not only in this piece but throughout the entire exhibition. By using a photo of herself in this artwork, Ferrato puts herself into the observer’s shoes, forcing viewers to understand what it means to be a woman. Here, Ferrato fleetingly symbolizes all of womankind to the viewer.
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
An especially chilling photograph is Ferrato’s Liberation Must Come from Within (2015), featuring an empty room in a San Antonio, Texas, abortion clinic—the quote “liberation must come from within” adorns the room’s wall, a quote from writer Sandra Cisneros. In a messy annotation, Ferrato writes that “an abortion room is a sacred place. Private. Safe. Clean. Our bodies ourselves.” After June 24, what is this room to women?
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
The exhibition’s theme, domestic violence, is at the forefront, however. Ferrato created the works in HOLY between 2018 and 2019 to serve as the basis of her most recent book, also titled Holy, a press release states. And women may face more difficulty leaving domestic violence situations if their right to abortion is taken away. Ferrato’s Janice (1984) is an example of the deeply personal stories she collected while working with domestic violence survivors. Janice, the woman in the photo, has tears streaming down her face. A small bit of writing in the corner of the photograph describes Janice’s brave stance against a friend’s abusive husband and the lack of punishment the husband received. Stories such as these are important reminders of a reality for so many women, and the gross injustice that often follows.
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
Courtesy the artist and Daniel Cooney Fine Art
The exhibition HOLY exemplifies beautifully how Donna Ferrato stands out in her field and has accomplished much, not only for immense talent in photography, collage, and painting, but also because of the marginalized people she gives voices to. Her unique approach to pressing issues forces us all to remind ourselves who we should be fighting for, and the urgency with which we must.
HOLY will be open at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 508-526 W 26th Street, #9C, New York City, until July 29, 2022.
