Laia Abril: On Mass Hysteria
In this exhibition, Laia Abril focuses on Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI) and explores the idea of it being an ancient form of female protest. Widely known as “Mass Hysteria”, this disorder is believed to be triggered by severe traumatic events and typically affects tight-knit communities that are overwhelmed by high-stress situations. With no known physiological cause, sudden symptoms – such as fainting, twitching, unstoppable laughter, and trance-like states – are experienced collectively and can persist for months.
Through an expansive archival installation, the artist demonstrates that this is a far-reaching phenomenon – both temporally and geographically. Abril investigates three specific case studies from Mexico, Cambodia and the U.S., visualizing the different societal interpretations of these outbreaks. Through a video installation she delves into the power of collective pain and transgenerational trauma and establishes a connection between the oppressive state and mass hysteria as a collective physical response of resistance.
In On Mass Hysteria Abril explores the intricate dynamics of outbreaks from a feminist perspective. She seeks to answer enduring questions such as what drives the spread of these epidemics, and why they disproportionately impact young women. Firmly rooted in research, her approach intertwines psychology, anthropology, medical history, and women’s rights to shift the focus from blaming women for their medically unexplained ailments to examining the influence of societal and political oppression.
The exhibition On Mass Hysteria is a co-production between Photo Elysée (Lausanne), LE BAL (Paris), The Finnish Museum of Photography and Les Filles du Calvaire gallery (Paris).
Laia Abril (b. 1986, Barcelona) is a multidisciplinary artist whose works center on themes of women’s rights, grief, and bio-politics. Following On Abortion (2016) and On Rape (2020), On Mass Hysteria is the latest chapter in her trilogy, A History of Misogyny –a long-term research project that challenges societal tendencies to dismiss women’s suffering and undermine their narratives. Her research-based practice employs photography, text, and sound to explore difficult and hidden realities.
︎Laia Abril
DIAGNOSIS
PVF 202431.1.–5.5.2024
The Finnish Museum of Photography