Watching Abortions – On the Visual Culture of Abortions, Boring TV and the Desire for “Positive Images”

Abstract

In my doctoral thesis, I am researching depictions of abortion in German-language films and TV series with a critical analysis of representation and power. I analyze not only how abortions themselves are portrayed, but also the decision-making processes, the consequences of an abortion, and the (unwillingly) pregnant characters. I highlight particularly dominant images, narratives, and character stereotypes, but also conspicuous gaps, hints, and absences. By comparing fictional representations and socio-political discourses, I reflect on the use of visibility or invisibility in films and series. With reference to feminist studies of visual culture, I question a simplified understanding of visibility, analyze the necessity of invisibility, and critically examine the desire for “realistic” or “positive images.”

Short biography

Franzis Kabisch is a filmmaker, artistic researcher, and author based in Berlin and Vienna. For several years, she has been conducting scientific and artistic research on the visual culture of abortion, currently as PhD student at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her short film “getty abortions” which examines the representation of abortion in the media has been screened at over 60 festivals worldwide and has won several awards, including at the DOK Leipzig, Hamburg Short Film Festival, Beirut Shorts, and Bogoshorts. She is active in various pro-choice networks and is part of the queer-feminist film group “Lust & Krise.” In addition to her artistic work, she teaches at universities, gives workshops, and writes for Missy Magazine. www.franziskabisch.net