On Mass Hysteria | Laia Abril
Laia Abril “Chalco, Mexico” from the series On mass hysteria 2023 © Laia Abril Courtesy of Les Filles Du Calvaire Gallery.
Text: Emily Ranieri
Amid a never-ending war on women, where human rights are repeatedly established and stripped, women have experienced social whiplash for centuries. Strong-willed women who fight for equality and liberation have been historically labeled as “hysteric” or “difficult” by the men who oppress them.
Laia Abril, a multimedia artist from Spain, has created an additional chapter to her thought-provoking A History of Misogyny, a long-term project commenting on the plight of womanhood. Her latest addition, “On Mass Hysteria,” is a stunning visual manifestation of past, present, and future female suffering consequenced by a history of forced submission. She investigates mass hysteria through its protolanguage and its implications as a means of silent protest. From June 30th through October 1st, 2023, Laia Abril presents “On Mass Hysteria” at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Laia Abril “Mirror Neurons” from the series On mass hysteria 2023 © Laia Abril Courtesy of Les Filles Du Calvaire Gallery.
“On Mass Hysteria” explores the fascinating phenomenon of mass psychogenic illness (MGI), which disproportionately affects young women; when under extreme stress or oppression, the stifled group exhibits involuntary motor symptoms, as the stress of the situation makes verbal communication impossible. Abril studies the protolanguage of mass hysteria through a feminist lens and as a form of unconscious protest representing the collective suffering of women. Using archival material, Abril brilliantly conveys her feminist message through subtle and overwhelmingly powerful images. An image titled “Identity Thief” features an endless sea of faceless women dressed in white, staring straight ahead. Their physical closeness represents their collective sense of community despite their individuality being ripped from them by social and political oppressors.
Laia Abril “Feelings” from the series On mass hysteria 2023 © Laia Abril Courtesy of Les Filles Du Calvaire Gallery.
Laia Abril “Anger” from the series On mass hysteria 2023 © Laia Abril Courtesy of Les Filles Du Calvaire Gallery.
A multimedia image called “Feelings” presents a grid of blurred, black-and-white photographs overlaid with opaque red text that reads: “THEY FAINT BECAUSE OF THEIR FEELINGS.” Abril quotes a Cambodian garment factory manager commenting on the thousands of female laborers who have fainted in the last decade. Through this text, she highlights the cruelty of refusing to believe women and perpetuating an abuse cycle that transcends individual instances of oppression. She connects this quote to the feelings of the oppressor, who refuses to assume responsibility for their treatment of other human beings. Another photograph, "Anger,” depicts a negative image of a woman’s uterus with an arrow labeled “anger” pointing toward it. Abril emphasizes the historical notion that the anger women exhibit, either verbally or through examples of mass hysteria, is simply biological and not because of the suffering men have caused. It represents the deflection of men who refuse to take responsibility for the pain they have inflicted and continue to afflict on women.
Laia Abril “Identity Thief” from the series On mass hysteria 2023 © Laia Abril Courtesy of Les Filles Du Calvaire Gallery.
Abril uses this chapter to challenge the notion that women are to blame for experiencing such illnesses. Events such as the Salem witch trials or when six hundred schoolgirls in a Mexican boarding schools were unable to walk due to maltreatment, which led oppressors to believe these women and girls were merely too weak and emotional and attempted to make men’s lives more difficult. Instead, Abril insists on the reality that the mass hysteria that ensues during these events results from both social and political oppression, which the women are subconsciously protesting against.
