I‘ve been watching in horror as Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has enforced a ban on nearly all abortions. The constitutional court ruling came into effect on January 27th, 2021. It banned abortions in one of the very few cases that were still legal, in cases when the fetus has irreversible defects. By banning abortion for fetal anomaly, the Constitutional Tribunal is interfering in medical decisions that belong to a woman, in consultation with her medical provider, thus taken away fundamental human rights. The ruling will force Polish women to carry a non-viable pregnancy, thereby creating huge physical and psychological damage. Poland’s abortion law also imposes prison sentences on those assisting women who terminate their pregnancy, including doctors, partners, and family members. 

Hundreds of thousands of outraged Poles across the country have been protesting the ban and taking to the streets to express their anger and opposition, despite limits on public gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. The protests had been already going on for several months, with the hope to abolish the PiS government’s already proposed in 2016 ban.  

I’m very proud of my very bravely fighting “sisters” in Poland who created massive and very powerful protests against the right-wing, ultra-conservative government.  Unfortunately, Marta Lempart, co-founder of the Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) movement leading Polish protests, now faces charges that could result in up to eight years in prison. Also, several arrests of local strike leaders across Poland were reported.

I completely disagree with the ruling and condemn the government’s attack on the freedom of Polish women (and their families) to make their own choices. I’ve created “Lady Lightning” to express my solidarity with them, shout out my voice, and spread awareness across borders. The artwork is my dedication to the Polish women in support of their right to choose and efforts to oppose. 

My presentation of “Flashy” (Lady Lightning) coincides with Women’s History Month. The work is meant to be provocative and to serve as a vehicle to point out a critique on female stereotypes and gender constructs that for centuries, thanks to patriarchal norms, perceived women as weak beings. “Flashy” LL depicts a woman who fights for her rights (adopted by Strajk Kobiet symbol of a lightning bolt) with her full ripe body exposed, just as she is in “Liberty Leading the People” (1830), a painting by Eugene Delacroix. 

Suppression of the ‘feminine’ has been a continued aspect of the social, economic, and political oppression of women. In my work, I celebrate a woman not only for her strength, wisdom, and courage but also for her erotic charge and creativity. The work is meant to be controversial, one that stresses woman’s femininity and sexuality. I do not want to hide such women’s attributes that I’m sure are being despised by the currently ruling Poland PiS government and the Catholic Church. – Kasia Kay.