Filmbox – How it Feels

There is hardly any other fundamental issue on which opinions differ as much as on the right to pregnancy termination. It is negotiated in the field of tension between private life, biopolitics and religious beliefs. The three videos by Tracey Emin (b. 1963), Virginia L. Montgomery (b. 1986) and Franzis Kabisch (b. 1990) deal with abortions, legal situations and their consequences. Their artistic approaches differ in terms of content and aesthetics. However, all three are motivated by an urgent need to improve the situation of women.

Questions about the social position of women and their rights also dominate the work of the Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego (1935–2022). She is perhaps best known for her so-called Abortion series, which she created in the late 1990s. Pastels and etchings from this series are currently on display in the exhibition Paula Rego. The Personal and The Political (until 7 September 2025). This video programme builds a bridge to the present and is a testament to the continuing relevance of the topic.

Tracey Emin, How it feels, 1996
Hi8-Einkanalvideo, digitalisiert, Farbe, Ton / Single-channel video (shot on Hi8), digitised, colour, sound, 22:33 min
Courtesy of the artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels

Virginia L. Montgomery, Water Witching, 2018
HD-Einkanalvideo, Farbe, Ton / HD single-channel video, colour, sound, 7:06 min
Courtesy of the artist

Franzis Kabisch, getty abortions, 2023
HD-Einkanalvideo, Farbe, Ton / HD single-channel video, colour, sound, 22 min
Courtesy of the artist