Shells have long been a recurring motif throughout art history and mythology, symbolising femininity, fecundity, and birth. Yet in our contemporary world, dominant groups increasingly make decisions on behalf of others, leaving women and gender minorities stripped of agency over matters that directly concern their own bodies.

 

The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States stands as a stark example of this. So does the closure of the Maternité des Lilas — driven by purely capitalist interests. Located near Paris, this maternity unit was a pioneer in allowing women and gender minorities to make their own choices about their bodies. Its patients could decide how they wished to give birth. The institution was performing abortions even before the practice was enshrined in French law, and it supported the first pregnant man ever officially recognised by the French government. Its closure dealt a harsh blow to the rights of women and gender minorities.

 

In ALWAYS FREEDOM, Elsa Leydier brings together portraits of people fighting to preserve the Maternité des Lilas and defend abortion rights, pairing them with shells — a poetic gesture that restores to them a sense of power over maternity, femininity, birth, and fecundity.

 

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Part of the proceeds from sales of ALWAYS FREEDOM are donated to an organisation advocating for the rights of women and gender minorities.