Photo exhibition “Cycle” in Lübeck: Bloody images against the taboo | NDR.de – Culture

The poster motif: a blood stain on toilet paper. Kristof, who is strolling through Lübeck's dignified Hüxstrasse with his family, looks at it thoughtfully: “The topic is certainly difficult for some people,” he says. “But I think it’s good. Without menstruation, there is no life.” Passerby Annette is immediately reminded of her own problems with menstruation; she often suffered from abdominal pain and fatigue. “In this respect, I think it’s good that taboos are removed,” she says. Annette also perceives the poster as a work of art: “The way this blood blurs has an aesthetic.”

In the exhibition: photos of blood prints and interviews

The posters have been hanging in Lübeck's old town for a few days. The actual exhibition on Friday evening shows 13 pictures of toilet paper with menstrual blood – including missing menstrual blood. There are also excerpts from interviews with the participants' personal thoughts and experiences surrounding the cycle. Women past menopause and a trans man also took part.

The artists' goal: More understanding, less shame

Breaking the widespread silence and clearing up misunderstandings: The Kiel author Dara Brexendorf, the Lübeck photographer Hanna Lenz and the graphic designer Pia Schröer from Hamburg would like to take part in this. “In history, menstruating people were often portrayed as very weak or mentally incompetent,” says Dara Brexendorf. “In the last few decades it has become more of a pressure to perform not to behave like that.”

The photo exhibition “Cycle – 13 Insights into Menstruation” will only be shown on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Kulturfunke district in Lübeck.

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