Laia Abril

In 2018, she was awarded the Tim Hetherington Trust's Visionary Award to work on On Rape. For a History Of Misogyny, in 2019 she was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Hood Medal and in 2020 she was awarded the Paul Huf Award from Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. In 2023, she won the Premio Nacional de Fotografía (National Photography Award) from Spain's Ministry of Culture.

Laia Abril studied at International Center of Photography. The recorded working language is Catalan. Work by Laia Abril is recorded in the collections of Fotomuseum Winterthur. Distinctions recorded are Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards, National Photography Award (Spain) and Núvol Awards.

Abril was born in 1986 in Barcelona, Spain. She gained a degree in journalism in Barcelona. She moved to New York City to study photography at the International Center of Photography. In 2009 she enrolled at Fabrica research centre, the artist residency of Benetton in Italy, where she worked as a staff photographer and consultant photo editor at Colors magazine for five years. Since 2010, Abril worked on various projects exploring the subject of eating disorders: A Bad Day, a short film about a young girl struggling with bulimia; Thinspiration (2012), which explores the use of photography in pro-ana websites; and The Epilogue (2014), documenting the indirect victims of eating disorders, through the story of the Robinson family and the aftermath of the death of Cammy Robinson to bulimia. Critic Sean O'Hagan, wrote in The Guardian, that The Epilogue "... is a sombre and affecting photobook... dense and rewarding... At times, it makes for a painful read. From time to time, I had to put it down, take a breather. But I kept going back." Her long-term project A History of Misogyny includes Chapter One: On Abortion, about the repercussions of abortion controls in many different cultures; and Chapter Two: On Rape: and Institutional Failure, "a visualisation of the origin of gender-based stereotypes and myths, as well as the failing structures of law and order, that continue to perpetuate rape culture." On Rape was informed by the gang-rape of an 18-year old woman in Spain in 2016 where the perpetrators were charged with the lesser offence of 'sexual abuse' due to lack of evidence of violence. This case led to Spain's #MeToo movement. On Rape was published as a book by Dewi Lewis.

• On Rape, FOAM Museum, Amsterdam • On Rape, Biennale de l'Image Possible, Liege • On Rape, Les Filles du Calvaire, París, 2019 • Suyay Centre de la Photographie de Genève, November 2018. • On Abortion, PhotoIreland, Dublin, Ireland, 2018 • On Abortion, City of Women, Ljubjiana, Slovenia, 2017 • On Abortion, Les Rencontres d'Arles, France, 2016 • Lobismuller Images Festival, Vevey, Switzerland, 2016 • Tediousphilia, Musée de l'Elysée, Laussanne, Suiza, 2015

• From Here On, Centre d'Art Santa Mónica, February 2013. Curated by Joan Fontcuberta, Erik Kessels, Joachim Schmid and Martin Parr. • Fotografia 2.0, PHotoEspaña, Madrid, June 2014. Curated by Joan Fontcuberta. With Diego Collado, Pablo Chacón, Manuel Fernández, Miguel Ángel García, Alejandro Guijarro, Albert Gusi, Juana Ghost, Roc Herms, Darius Koehli, Reinaldo Loureiro, Daniel Mayrit, Oscar Monzón, Noelia Pérez, Jordi Pou, Arturo Rodríguez, Txema Salvans, Miguel Ángel Tornero, Jon Uriarte and Fosi Vegue. • On Identity, Gallery Sous Les Etoiles, New York, September–October 2014. With Jen Davis, Olya Ivanova, Lindsay Morris and Chris Rijksen. • A History of Misogyny, Chapter One: On Abortion, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, 2016. • Situations, Fotomuseum Winterthur, 2016 • Las 17, CaixaForum Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, September–December 2017. • Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, The Photographers' Gallery, London, March–June 2019. With Susan Meiselas, Arwed Messmer, and Mark Ruwedel. • History of Misogeny, Ballarat International Foto Biennale in the National Centre for Photography, Australia, 2019 • What remains. Moderna Museet, Stockholm, September 2025. With Emily Jacir and Teresa Margolles.

Laia Abril is recorded as having received Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards and National Photography Award (Spain).

• Thinspiration. Self-published zine, 2012. Designed in collaboration with art director Ramon Pez and Guillermo Brotons. • Tediousphilia. Lausanne: Musée de l'Élysée, 2014.. Designed in collaboration with art director Pez. • The Epilogue. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2014.. Designed in collaboration with art director Pez. • Lobismuller. Mexico City; Barcelona: Editorial RM, 2016.. With a text by Abril and designed in collaboration with art director Pez. • A History of Misogyny: Chapter One: On Abortion. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2018.. • A History of Misogyny: Chapter Two: On Rape: and Institutional Failure. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2022.. • On Mass Hysteria. Dewi Lewis, 2024.. • Leer las imágenes. Revista 5W, 2024.. Spanish. Co-authored with Santi Palacios and with illustrator Cinta Fosch.

• The Afronauts by Cristina de Middel. Self-published 2012. Creative Direction and editing in collaboration with Pez. • From Here On. Madrid: RM, 2013. Exhibition catalogue for From Here On, Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona, curated by Joan Fontcuberta, Erik Kessels, Martin Parr, Joachim Schmid and Clément Chéroux. • Diccionario de Fotógrafos Españoles. Madrid: La Fabrica, 2014. • Under 35 Madrid: Ivorypress, 2015. • The Post-photographic condition by Joan Fontcuberta. Montreal: Mois de la Photo, 2015. • Laia Abril. PHotoBolsillo. Madrid: La Fabrica, 2016.. Spanish. • Featured in Aperture magazine #225, Winter 2016, "On Feminism." • Fenómeno Fotolibro Mexico City; Barcelona: Editorial RM, 2017. • The Backway. RM, 2022.. Spanish. Edited by Laia Abril with contributions by the photographer, Xavier Aldekoa.