Andrea Bonderup

Nude calendar for 2025 made in collaboration with graphic designer Sonya Umanskaya

Exhibition at Corrosia Almere

February

December

November

From the project "In the softness of the belly... Both my mom and my grandma had an abortion, though their experiences were quite different. My grandmother fell pregnant for the 3rd time in her late thirties. Her and my grandfather agreed that they already had the kids they wanted. Her abortion was uncomplicated. My mom however was only 21 y/o. She found the decision very difficult and has had both physical and mental complications.

From the project "In the softness of the belly... "I had a meaningful and warm marriage that lasted 32 years. Along the way, as it happened to many at the time, both me and my husband saw other people from time to time. Despite being very careful, one of them resulted in me getting pregnant. At the time I had a son approaching 20 and I was over 40 myself. I didn't want another child. I never regretted my decision." - Grandma

Research paper. Abstract: In the softness of the belly… There is a war on women is a testimony to the lived stories of abortion from a perspective which transcends time and national borders. This research paper is structured around two intertwined trajectories with varying text formats and writing styles. This structure merges the personal with the political and explores their relationship as it reveals how they can’t be separated in a society with deeply rooted structures of patriarchy and misogyny. The first trajectory chronologically tells the story of the author's own experience with abortion integrated with the personal stories from friends and family members. The process of dealing with abortion is gradually laid out starting from childhood memories, proceeding into the practical turmoil and the contradicting emotions surrounding the experience itself, moving onto the mental and physical aftermaths, and lastly processing the experience and slowly healing. In the second trajectory the topic is explored from a more external perspective rooted in history, politics, culture, and society. Through research on the history of reproductive rights and procreation, the permeating role of patriarchy from the past to the presence is addressed. The investigation of patriarchy dives into the misogynist history of witch-hunts, hysteria, capitalism, domestic labor, and into the present where reproductive rights are both improving but also continuously being tightened or removed. This trajectory further explores several socio-cultural aspects of abortion through research-based text and more sporadic and poetic writings. The topics that are addressed are shame, guilt, religion, gender roles, depiction both visually and written, the public discussion, and the perception of blood, violence, and war in relation to women and reproductive rights. The aim of the research paper is to break down and reveal the patriarchal structures which compromise women's reproductive rights, and to state the importance of reclaiming the personal narratives as well as the autonomy over one's own body, narrative, and life.

From the project "In the softness of the belly... I had mostly encountered abortion in political contexts — in numbers and figures, prior to my own abortion, and certain visual symbols: Coat hangers vs. bloody dismantled fetuses; hippies in the 70’s protesting, and religious groups counteracting. I had barely ever heard any personal stories, but as I began to open up about my own experiences women around me came forward with their stories. Those women were my mother, both my grandmothers, several close friends, acquaintances and even strangers, many of whom were already mothers at the time of their abortion or became it later. This is a portrait of some of those women: my mother Katrine, my grandmother Lisbeth, my friend Zhiva (with her daughter Leia), and the stranger that became a friend: Alita.

From the project "In the softness of the belly... “I never talked much about my experience with abortion, and  I  find that it can be hard for people who haven’t had an abortion to understand it fully. I also feel like it’s quite a private thing. Still, to this day, whenever April hits I think about how old my child would have been, which is weird since I decided not to have the child. I never regretted my decision, but it came at a cost.” - Mom

From the project "In the softness of the belly... Using knitting needles to provoke abortion is one of the oldest methods in the books. Either it’s the weapon to win the fight for one’s autonomy and self-liberation or the complete opposite: a weapon for self-destruction. The outcome is impossible to predict, one can only hope for the best.

From the project "In the softness of the belly... On the day of my abortion Zhiva came by with flowers she had picked for me in a forest near by. She had 3 abortions before she had her child Leia. She told me how she had had a conversation with each of her aborted fetuses where she asked them permission for her to let them go. I did the same thing that evening. It felt good to know that even though I had no attachment to this potential child, I didn’t take it for granted.

In the softness of the belly... We all had our beginning. A beginning where a fertilized egg attached itself in the womb. The womb, at the center of the body of a woman. A woman equally entitled to autonomy and freedom, Freedom of choice. Choice of what she does and doesn’t want to do with her body. Her body, her reproductive rights. Her reproductive rights, basic human rights. Every year 73 million women worldwide undergo an abortion. In 2023 I was one of them. During the experience of facing my own abortion, the women around me started sharing their stories. These women were family members, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers -women across several generation and several nationalities. I learned that I wasn’t alone with my feelings of loneliness and shame, but that they tied me to a long lineage of women who have claimed the right to autonomy over their own bodies and lives. In this project, I delve into the interwoven care networks between women and explore their different perspectives on reproductive rights. This research is carried out though meetings and conversations among a group of women who all have a significant role in my life.

The ceramic fountain foot that was a part of the installation "In the softness of the belly..."

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Ceramic piece for and fountain installation in the making.

From the project "In the softness of the belly...

Portrait of Aikins with the foal Ramadan Blaze and his mother Rose 7 hours after his birth.

Aikins boys and Jasmine at Lang Beach in Ghana.