Endometriosis by Laia Abril at Museum Of Romanticism

Laia Abril presents a new installation at PHotoESPAÑA 2026 examining endometriosis, exposing how gender bias in medicine has shaped the diagnosis, treatment, and dismissal of pain experienced by women and uterus-bearing people.

Overview

Presented at the Museo del Romanticismo as part of PHotoESPAÑA 2026, Laia Abril's new installation investigates the medical history of endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting around 190 million women and uterus-bearing people worldwide. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains widely under-researched, with many patients facing years of delayed diagnosis and the dismissal of their symptoms.

The installation examines how historical gender bias in medicine has contributed to the pathologisation of female bodies and the systematic minimisation of pain. Drawing connections between nineteenth-century diagnoses of hysteria and contemporary experiences of endometriosis, Abril reveals how medicine has often functioned as a mechanism of control rather than care.

Through fragmented portraits of five people living with endometriosis, the work visualises the physical and psychological realities of chronic pain, institutional neglect, and obstetric violence. As a continuation of her acclaimed project On Mass Hysteria, the exhibition challenges long-standing medical narratives while advocating for greater recognition of women's health and reproductive rights.

About The Artist

Laia Abril is a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, text, video, and sound. Trained in journalism, she later moved to New York to focus on long-term research projects exploring sexuality, the body, psychology, and women's rights. Her work investigates subjects that are often misunderstood or silenced, combining documentary research with conceptual visual storytelling.