LAIA ABRIL’S “ON RAPE AND INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE” BRINGS “A HISTORY OF MISOGYNY” TO NEW YORK
This fall, the International Center of Photography (ICP) will present the first U.S. exhibition of photographer and research-based artist Laia Abril’s acclaimed project “On Rape and Institutional Failure,” on view from October 15, 2026 through January 11, 2027.
The exhibition marks the American debut of the second chapter of Abril’s ongoing long-term series, “A History of Misogyny,” an expansive body of work examining the historical systems, institutions, and cultural narratives that have shaped violence against women. Rather than focusing solely on individual stories of assault, Abril investigates the legal, political, religious, and social structures that have allowed sexual violence to persist across generations.
Working across photography, archival research, sound, video, installation, and collected testimony, Abril constructs an exhibition that challenges conventional documentary practice. Personal accounts sit alongside historical artifacts, photographs of symbolic objects, institutional uniforms, legal references, and archival materials, creating a layered investigation into how rape culture is reinforced through systems of power rather than isolated acts.
Originally presented in Europe in 2020 during the early years of the #MeToo movement, the project remains strikingly relevant. Abril began researching the work after a widely publicized 2018 sexual assault case in Spain, where five men who raped a young woman initially received lesser charges after the defense argued that video recorded by the perpetrators suggested consent. The case sparked one of the largest feminist demonstrations in Spanish history and ultimately contributed to changes in the country’s sexual assault laws.
Rather than centering narratives that place responsibility on survivors, Abril shifts attention toward the institutions that repeatedly fail them. Throughout the exhibition, uniforms become symbolic stand-ins for governments, courts, law enforcement, religious organizations, educational systems, and other structures that have historically ignored, minimized, or enabled gender-based violence.
Research forms the backbone of Abril’s artistic practice. Drawing from law, psychology, politics, medicine, and social history, the exhibition presents photographs of historical objects—including medical devices, weapons, sculptures, architectural elements, and legal artifacts—that reveal how ideas surrounding sexual violence have been embedded within institutions over centuries. Abril describes these works as “conceptual portraits,” using objects to expose broader systems rather than individual perpetrators.
Curated by Sara Ickow, Associate Director of Exhibitions at ICP, the exhibition arrives as conversations surrounding misogyny, institutional accountability, and gender-based violence continue to evolve internationally. As the tenth anniversary of the #MeToo movement approaches, the project offers an opportunity to examine how cultural attitudes toward justice and accountability have—and have not—changed.
Born in Barcelona in 1986, Abril has established herself as one of contemporary photography’s most rigorous research-driven artists. Her multidisciplinary practice combines photography, text, video, and sound to explore issues surrounding gender, biopolitics, and historical memory. Her work has been exhibited in more than 25 countries and is held in the collections of institutions including Centre Pompidou, Museo Reina Sofía, MACBA, Photo Elysée, Fotomuseum Winterthur, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and MNAC. She is also the recipient of numerous international honors, including the Foam Paul Huf Award, the Royal Photographic Society’s Hood Medal, Aperture’s Best Book Award, and Spain’s National Photography Award.
“On Rape and Institutional Failure” continues ICP’s longstanding commitment to photography as a tool for social inquiry, presenting an exhibition that asks viewers not only to confront violence itself, but to consider the institutions that have historically determined whose stories are believed—and whose are ignored.
“LAIA ABRIL: ON RAPE AND INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE”
International Center of Photography
84 Ludlow Street, New York
On View: October 15, 2026 – January 11, 2027
Public Opening: October 15, 2026 | 5–8 PM
