Artist's Insight

 

When I was living in Kraków, a French friend of mine tried to obtain the morning-after pill. At the pharmacy, she was repeatedly asked whether she was married and where her boyfriend or husband was. Being French appeared to make the process easier than it might have been for a Polish woman, but she still had to lie about her marital status and pay nearly €50 to access it.

​

As Poland moved toward further restricting abortion rights, I decided to document what was unfolding. At the time, several people questioned why I wanted to photograph the protests, or what such a series could achieve. I went anyway.

Between Kraków and Warsaw, I spoke with a professor, an activist and several friends about the proposed restrictions and the wider political climate surrounding them. I also attempted to speak with a priest after Mass but was met with hostility. During the service, the sermon itself reflected some of the divisions I was encountering outside the church: immigration was discussed in religious terms, while Western Europe was portrayed as a threat to Poland and its values.

​

Documenting the movement proved more difficult than I had anticipated. Even with the help of a translator, reliable information was difficult to obtain. Some activist groups announced demonstrations on Facebook only hours before they began, partly out of fear of police intervention.

​

In Kraków, I attempted to photograph a protest in which naked women had chained themselves together, but I arrived too late. Encounters with police repeatedly reminded me of the power of the camera: an image does not simply record an event; it creates evidence that can travel beyond it.
 

In Warsaw, outside a police station where a journalist was reportedly being held, another photographer urged me to leave as tensions escalated. On the train afterward, videos began circulating online showing police using pepper spray as confrontations intensified.

​

Claudia