2016-2019, Mexico

WOUNDS OF VIOLENCE

The series deals with geographical sites of Mexico where illegal, contemporary mass graves have been discovered, contrasting the local landscape that has been violated by these graves with the mental, physical consequences that this extreme violence has on women in the area. The photos portray women who have been subjected to these conditions, so looking for relief in alternative religions, drugs, endless search, or the abuse have left visible marks on their bodies.

The fact that I am a woman, living and working in a country dominated by institutions of male power, has made me even more sensitive towards the fate of the local women who are exposed not only to institutional violence of the local government, narcos and criminals, but also gender violence and repression from their own families and lovers. Just as the sites of mass graves in Mexico have suffered a significant violation of the physical geography, so too the bodies of the women in these areas have suffered physical and mental abuse as well.