Join ICP online for a conversation between historian Joanna Bourke, curator Marta Gili, and ICP Associate Director of Exhibitions Sara Ickow on the occasion of our latest exhibition, Laia Abril: On Rape and Institutional Failure. Bourke, Gili and Ickow will discuss the historical context of assault in the 21st century, and how Abril’s work fits into contemporary discourse of how we process trauma.
Tickets to attend the online program are free.
About the Exhibition
In On Rape and Institutional Failure, an exhibition centered on the second chapter of her ongoing project A History of Misogyny, Laia Abril examines different forms of violence against women throughout history.
Weaving together images, compiled testimonies, archival materials, select objects, and installations with sound and video, the exhibition investigates how gender-based stereotypes, coupled with worldwide prejudices and misconceptions, have contributed to a systemic rape culture that persists today.
By focusing on institutions, Abril aims to avoid narratives of victim-blaming, instead addressing the on-going problem of social accountability that has allowed offenders and enablers alike to avoid justice. On Rape and Institutional Failure was first exhibited in 2020 in the wake of the initial, galvanizing allegations against Harvey Weinstein and other powerful men. While #MeToo has led to few sustained consequences and little systemic change, Abril offers a meaningful opportunity to address the long history of silencing victims and the transgenerational trauma that has developed as a result.
Please Note: If you are feeling distressed as you move through Laia Abril: On Rape and Institutional Failure, please use the link here for resources and hotlines. https://uniqode.io/J4pZk3
About the Speakers
Sara Ickow is the Associate Director of Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography and Managing Director of Women Photograph. Previously, she worked as a curatorial assistant and collections manager with the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. She holds an MA in art history from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.
Marta Gili is a curator and independent art critic. In France, she served as Director of the Jeu de Paume in Paris (2006–2018) and Director of the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles (2019–2023). Previously, in Spain, she headed the Department of Photography and Visual Arts at the Fundació ”la Caixa” in Barcelona (1991–2006).
She is currently a member of the International Advisory Board of A*MIDEX at Aix-Marseille Université (France) and a member of the Board of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. She also works as a writer, lecturer, curator and educator for numerous universities and museums.
Joanna Bourke is a prize-winning author and cultural historian. She is Professor Emerita of History at Birkbeck, University of London, a Fellow of the British Academy, and OBE. She is also the Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College. She is the author of eighteen books, as well as over 120 articles in academic journals. In 2022, Reaktion Books published Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence and, in 2026, Five Evil Women: Hindley, West, Wuornos, Homolka, Tucker. She is currently writing a book on female cultures of drinking wine. Her books have been translated into Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Turkish, Korean and Greek. See https://www.joannabourke.com.
Header Image: Laia Abril, Ala Kachuu (Bride Kidnapping), Kyrgyzstan, 2019 © Laia Abril, Courtesy Galerie Les filles du calvaire, Paris
